


A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

by PhysEdTeacher



Category: The 100 (TV), kabby - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-02-08 12:34:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18623395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhysEdTeacher/pseuds/PhysEdTeacher
Summary: Principal Marcus Kane and 5th Grade Teacher Abby Griffin have been at the same elementary school for over 4 years and they have never been able to get along. Then, at their annual Christmas party, they both have a little bit too much to drink before spending a drunken night together. What happens when they wake up in each other's arms the next morning? How will their one night together change their lives forever?





	1. 1

“You wanted to see me?” Mrs. Abigail Griffin asked from the doorway. 

Principal Kane looked up from the paperwork in front of him, “Yes, close the door and have a seat.”

She rolled her eyes before doing what she was told. This was a familiar dance for both of them, in fact, it had become almost routine since Abby Griffin was hired as one of the 5th grade teachers 4 years prior. She often wondered how she was even hired to begin with, since the Principal of Oakbrook Elementary, Marcus Kane, clearly couldn’t stand her. “What’s the problem this time, Mr. Kane?” Abby asked as she took a seat across from him and folded her arms defiantly across her chest. 

Kane narrowed his eyes, clearly already annoyed with her. “What is today’s date?”

Abby sighed, “December 13th.”

“And when was your professional goal due for the 2018-19 school year, Mrs. Griffin?”

“Probably sometime in October,” she shrugged. 

“October 12th.”

“What’s your point?”

Kane leaned forward, “My point, Mrs. Griffin, is that your goal is now more than 2 months late and you are the only teacher in this building that has yet to complete it.” Annoyed, he shook his head at her. “Why must everything be a battle with you?”

“You’re exaggerating, as usual, and my professional goal isn’t complete because I have more important things to do than pointless busy work, like making sure my 24 kids are ready for 6th grade!”

“I want your goal submitted by 3:30pm today.”

“And how, exactly, do you expect me to do that? This is my last break today.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out, Mrs. Griffin. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an observation to get to,” he said as he rose from his desk and opened the door to office. 

Abby wanted to say more, but she wasn’t in the mood for one of their arguments. She needed to get down to the gym to pick up her class from PE and he was her boss. It was best just to bite her tongue. Getting up from her chair, she made sure to glare at Kane as she walked passed him and out of his office. 

**********

At 3:21pm that afternoon, Abby was working on her professional goal when she heard a knock on her classroom door. Looking up, she saw her best friend and fellow 5th grade teacher, Diana Sydney, in the doorway. 

“Hey Abs!”

“Hey,” Abby said returning to her work. 

Diana walked in and came around Abby’s desk, looking over her shoulder and at the computer screen. “Is that your goal?” the blonde asked confused. 

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t that due 2 months ago?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, better late than never I guess.”

“Kane called me down to the office earlier and told me I need to submit this by 3:30 today. It’s such BS, Diana! This has absolutely nothing to do with educating these kids.”

“I know, it’s pointless, but it is a requirement. Just submit and be done with it.”

A few more strokes of the keyboard and Abby hit the submit button. “There, and with a minute to spare,” she said proudly as she sat back in her chair. “Now Kane can get off my ass.”

“Well, that is until you do something else to get under his skin,” Diana pointed out with a wink. 

“You’re still going to the Christmas party tomorrow, right?”

“Of course! I never miss a party, especially a party with a buffet and open bar.”

“Good. I have a babysitter for Clarke lined up, so I can enjoy myself and not have to rush out,” Abby said as she put on her coat and gathered her things. 

“Come on, Chica. I’ll walk you out,” Diana said, lacing her arm through Abby’s as they both started the walk to the school’s parking lot. 

As the ladies were passing the main office, Principal Kane was locking the door for the evening. “Shit,” Abby whispered under her breath. 

“Diana. Abby,” Kane greeted them with a tight smile. “Have a good evening.”

“You too,” they both said at the same time. 

Thankfully, Diana and Abby parked at the far end of the lot, while Kane parked in his “reserved” spot in front of the main entrance. Once they were safely out of earshot, Abby said, “Ugh! I can’t stand that man. He’s such a pompous ass!”

“True, but it’s a damn fine ass,” Diana admitted. 

Abby looked at her friend like she had lost her mind. “What?! You can’t be serious?”

“Please, Abby, like you haven’t noticed?! You can’t deny the man is gorgeous.”

Abby rolled her eyes, “Goodbye, Diana. See you in the morning.”

“Bye sweetie.”

**********

By 4pm the following afternoon, the Oakbrook Elementary faculty/staff Christmas party was in full swing at Rocco’s Bar & Grill. Abby and Diana were seated at the bar with several other co-workers, while the rest of the group played darts, pool, and foosball. 

“4 more school days until Christmas break,” Sinclair said as he raised his beer. “We can do this.” 

“Amen,” Diana replied as she and the others all clinked their drinks together. 

“It’s so nice that Oakbrook does this,” Abby commented. “At my old school, we never had Christmas parties.”

“Where were you again?” Harper asked. 

“A K-5 building outside Phoenix called Ridgeview. It was a great school, but we never did anything like this as a group.”  
“What made you move from Phoenix to Buffalo?” the young woman asked confused. “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” she asked noticing the uneasy looks Diana and Sinclair gave her and the way Abby looked down at her hands. 

“No, Harper, it’s ok,” Abby reassured her with a smile. Harper was a first year teacher and new to Oakbrook, so Abby really hadn’t had a chance to get know her well. “My husband, Jake, was killed in a car accident 5 years ago. After that, I just needed a fresh start for me and my daughter.”

“I’m so sorry,” Harper apologized. 

“Harper, no worries. It was a long time ago and I’m in a much better place now. I don’t mind talking about it.” 

“Would you look who decided to show up this year,” Sinclair commented out of the blue. 

“What the hell is he doing here?” Abby asked at the sight of Principal Kane taking a seat at the other end of the bar with his Assistant Principal and both of their secretaries. 

“Well, it is a faculty and staff party, Abs,” Diana pointed out. 

“Ugh, I’m going to need another drink.” 

“In case you haven’t noticed in your first 3 ½ months, Harper, Principal Kane and Mrs. Griffin don’t exactly get along,” said Sinclair. 

“They’re like oil and water,” added Diana. 

“Why?”

“Because he’s a pompous, arrogant, infuriating ass!” Abby answered before taking a long sip of her new drink. 

Harper raised both eyebrows while Diana and Sinclair laughed. 

**********

An hour later, everyone was enjoying the large buffet and socializing with their friends and co-workers. Luckily, Abby had managed to avoid Kane, making sure to sit at a table on the opposite side of the dining room. 

“I’m going to get another Sangria. Anyone want anything?” Abby asked her table as she started for the bar. 

“No, thank you,” they all answered. 

Abby was grateful to see that the bar was empty now that everyone was eating. She hated having to push through a crowd of people just to get a drink. 

“What can I get you?” the young bartender asked. 

“Sangria, please,” she replied before pulling out her phone to text the babysitter to check on her 7 year old daughter. 

“Enjoying yourself, Mrs. Griffin?” an all too familiar male voice asked. 

Shit. Drink in hand, Abby turned on her stool, coming face to face with Kane. “I was,” she said dryly. 

“Blue Moon, please,” Kane asked the bartender before turning his attention back to the woman to his left. “As much as I enjoy our banter, can we call a truce? At least for the rest of the party?”

“Why?” Abby asked suspiciously. 

Both sides of Kane’s mouth quirked up into a small smile and Abby waited for his face to cave in. In the 4 years she’d been at Oakbrook, she was pretty sure this was the first time she ever saw him smile. 

“Because you exhaust me, Mrs. Griffin,” he admitted wearily, taking a seat on the stool next to her. 

“What’s wrong, you don’t have the stamina you once did?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. The alcohol was definitely diminishing her filter. 

“I have plenty of stamina, I assure you,” Kane smirked. “I’d just like to enjoy the rest of the party.”

“Fine,” Abby said simply. “But Monday morning, it’s game on.” 

“I don’t doubt it,” he said before taking a sip of his beer. “So, any big plans for Christmas break?”

Was he making small talk? Weird. “Actually, my daughter and I are flying to Boise to visit my parents.”

“Boise?”

“Yes, that’s where I’m originally from. I didn’t move away until I left for college in Arizona.” 

“Ah, I see. How old is your daughter now?”

“Clarke is 7, going on 30.”

“Sounds about right,” Kane laughed. 

“What about you, Kane? Any plans?”

“Marcus.”

“What?” 

“My first name is Marcus,” he said. “But, to answer you question, no nothing terribly exciting. “Every year my family drives in from Syracuse for Christmas, which means my mother, sister, niece, and nephew.” 

“That doesn’t sound so bad. No kids of your own?” 

“Uh, no,” he admitted and the sadness in his eyes did not go unnoticed by Abby. “My ex-wife and I tried to have children, but it just never happened.”

“I didn’t know you were divorced.”

“Just over 6 years now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Marcus shrugged. “It was for the best. She remarried about 3 years ago and she and her husband adopted two little girls. I’m happy for her.” 

Before they knew it, both of their drinks were gone and some of their coworkers had begun to filter back into the bar. From the pool table, Abby could see Diana grinning at her and giving her a thumbs up. 

“Would you like another drink?” Marcus asked. 

Abby hesitated, but only for a moment. The truth was, she was enjoying talking to Kane, or Marcus. “Sure, but let’s get a table. It’s getting pretty crowded at the bar.” 

**********

Before they knew it, it was nearing 10pm and most of the their friends and colleagues had long gone home, including Diana, who had discretely given Abby shit before making her exit. 

Abby hated to admit it, but she was actually having a great time. Who knew that Principal Marcus Kane could be so funny and charming? Ok, the 6 hours of alcohol probably helped, but still. The duo had learned more about one another in the past several hours than in the previous 4 years. For example, Abby now knew that Marcus was 40 and he had been born and raised in the Buffalo area. He graduated from Purdue University where he also played college Baseball. Since she found out that little tidbit, she was having a very difficult time getting the image of Marcus in a tight pair of Baseball pants out of her head. Yum. Oh, and he had been a high school English teacher before becoming an administrator. 

Like Abby, Marcus was enjoying his evening with Abby Griffin, something he never thought he would say. She was 38 and she had been born and raised in Boise, before attending college at Arizona State, where she met her husband Jake. They were married 7 years and had a 2 year daughter when he was killed in a car accident. As she relayed the circumstances of her husband’s death, Marcus suddenly had the urge to take her in his arms. God, she was beautiful. How had he never noticed before? Oh wait, he had noticed, but he’d always tried to push it from his mind. 

“We should call an Uber,” Abby said finishing her latest drink. “There’s no way either of us can drive tonight.”

“I think you’re right,” he smiled. 

“Why don’t you grab us a couple waters while I order one?”

“Sounds like a plan.” 

After downing their water, Marcus and Abby headed out to the heated covered patio to wait for their Uber. 

“I had a good time tonight,” Abby confessed as she looked up at Marcus. 

“Me too. Who knew the two of us could get along?”

“No one,” she smiled. 

Almost simultaneously, they both leaned in, until their lips met in the middle. At first, it was soft, gentle, hesitant. However, it soon turned hot and passionate as Marcus pressed his body to hers and she wound her fingers into his hair. 

Beep! Beep!

They jumped apart at the sound of the car horn. “I think that’s our Uber,” Abby said, her lips swollen. “Let’s go.” 

“Where to?” the older man in the Chevy Malibu asked as both Marcus and Abby slide into the backseat. 

“I’m in Hamburg, on Pleasant Creek,” Marcus informed the driver. 

“What about you, Mam?”

“Actually, it’ll just be the one stop,” she said confidently before glancing at Marcus. 

“Are you sure?” he asked quietly. 

“Does this answer your question?” she asked as she leaned in and captured his lips again.


	2. 2

The next morning, Abby awoke to bright sunlight streaming in through the large picture window. Pinching her eyes shut and shielding them with her hands, she was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea and the worst headache she’d had since college. Ugh, how much did I drink last night, she asked herself. 

Wait a minute, I don’t have a picture window. Suddenly hyper-aware of her surroundings, she realized she was not in her bed and there was someone softly snoring beside her. Kane!

Oh my God. Oh my God. Mustering every bit of courage, she snuck a glance at the man to her right. Sure enough, it was Kane, sound asleep on his back. Like a highlight reel, images of the night before filtered back to her: stumbling out of the Uber, tearing each other’s clothes off as they headed for Kane’s bedroom, him taking her against the wall and then again in the bed, the way he felt inside her, moaning, lots of moaning. 

Covering her face with her hands, Abby quickly weighed her options. She could stay, wait for Kane to wake up, and face him. What would he say? Would he appalled? Ask her to leave? Tell her to forget it ever happened? Maybe take her again? Make her breakfast? Or, she could slip out and make a quick exit before he ever woke up. Yes, that was definitely a better option, at least, she would be in control. 

Her mind made up, she carefully rose from the bed, doing her best to ignore her throbbing head and lightheadedness. Tiptoeing from the room, she collected her clothes, shoes, and coat that had been haphazardly discarded like breadcrumbs between the bedroom and the front door. Dressing in the entryway, she pulled up her collar to protect her from the December temperatures and then slipped out the front door. Immediately pulling out her phone, she dialed Diana for a ride to her car as she got as far away from Kane’s house as she could. 

**********

When Marcus woke up about 30 minutes later, he instinctively reached across for Abby, expecting to feel her warm body next to him. His eyes snapped open at the feel of the cold empty mattress. Sitting up a little too fast, his world spun and he dropped his head into his hands. “Ahh, fuck,” he groaned. 

Once he felt like he wasn’t going to revisit last night’s buffet, he slowly opened his eyes and scanned the room for any sign of her. Maybe she was in the bathroom, he thought. “Abby?” he called as he slowly got to his feet. When he didn’t get a response, he headed downstairs, immediately noticing that her trail of clothing and shoes were gone…..and so was she. 

Picking up one of his discarded shoes that was laying on the floor, he threw it against the far wall of his living room. “Fuck!”

*********

At the same time Marcus was waking up, Diana Sydney was picking Abby up at a small park about a mile from his home. Abby slide into the passenger seat, unable to make eye contact with her closest friend. 

“Kane, of all people?” Diana asked in disbelief. 

Abby pinched her eyes shut from the pain in her head, but also from shame. “I know. I haven’t been that drunk since I was in college.” 

“Listen Abs, you definitely had a lot to drink last night and I’m sure alcohol played a huge part in your decision making, but I was at Rocco’s. I saw you and Kane together.” 

“So?”

“So, the two of you were having a great time and it wasn’t just because of the booze. I saw the way you both looked at one another.”

“You’re wrong, Diana,” Abby said shaking her head. “While I’ll admit we had our first pleasant conversation in 4 years before the alcohol took over, he’s still my boss. He’s still Kane and last night doesn’t erase the years of him being a complete jackass.” 

“Ok, whatever you say,” Diana conceded. “Not to be a total downer, Abs, but what’s your plan for Monday morning?”

“What do you mean?” Abby asked annoyed. 

“Well, at the risk of pointing out the obvious, you had a drunken one night stand with your boss and then snuck out of bed before he woke up,” Diana said matter of factly. “You don’t really think he’s going to pretend last night didn’t happen, do you?”

Abby sighed. “I can hope.” 

“Abby.”

“I know I have no intention of ever bringing it up, but if Kane approaches me, I’ll simply play it off as a drunken mistake. No big deal.”

“Uh huh.”

**********

To her relief, Abby didn’t hear from Marcus over the weekend, not a phone call, not a text, not an email. Nothing. Maybe she got lucky and he also wanted to pretend it didn’t happen. Or, better yet, he woke up with no memory of their night together. It could happen, she told herself. 

When Monday morning rolled around, Abby was so busy with her students and with the craziness of the holiday season, that she almost forgot about the events of the previous Friday night. 

“Abby!” a voice called from down the hallway. Abby turned to see Chris Herwick, one of the PE teachers, jogging towards her. 

“Hi Chris.” 

“I’m glad I caught you. Kane needs you in the office.”

“What?” she asked, her heart suddenly racing. “Why?”

“Milo and Kaden got into a little scuffle in the locker room. I had no choice but to take them down to the office.” 

“Those two,” Abby shook her head. 

“I’m off now, so I’ll take your kids back to class and sit with them.” 

“Thank you, Chris,” she said before turning on her heel and heading to the main office. 

As she approached, she paused, flattened out the front of her dress, and took a deep breath. Pushing the door open, her face gave no indication of the trepidation just under the surface. 

“Abby, you can go right in,” Kane’s secretary, Rhonda, said, gesturing to his office. “The boys are in with him now.” 

Abby knocked softly and peaked inside the half open door. Kane was seated at his desk, both boys in the chairs directly in front of him. He looked stern and intimidating, clearly in the middle of reading them the riot act. 

“Mrs. Griffin,” he said cooly. “Come in.” 

Abby swallowed hard as she crossed over to the two 10 year olds, folding her arms in front of her. “What were the two of you thinking?” 

Both Milo and Kaden had enough sense to look ashamed, hanging their heads and avoiding eye contact. 

“I’ve called both of their parents and explained what happened. They’ve been suspended for 3 days,” Kane informed her in a businesslike tone. “Please collect their assignments before they’re picked up,” he said without casting her a second glance. 

“Sure. I’ll be back shortly,” Abby smiled tightly before making her exit. 

**********

A short time later, Abby returned to the main office, her arms loaded down with assignments for both students. 

“Oh, let me help you with that,” Rhonda said as she rushed around her desk and took some of the books and notebooks from her. 

“Thank you, Rhonda,” Abby said placing the other pile on the countertop. “These are for Milo and these are for Kaden.”

“Oh, Abby, wait,” Rhonda called to her when she noticed Abby making her way out of the office. “Mr. Kane would like you to wait. He said he needed to speak with you.” 

“But my students are waiting for me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you coverage.” 

“Ok, thank you,” Abby said, her heart rate suddenly spiking again. Taking a seat in one of the chairs, she couldn’t help but feel like a student in trouble.” 

Abby was pulled from her thoughts when Milo’s parents exited Kane’s office, looking quite unhappy with their son. 

“Mrs. Griffin,” Kane said gesturing for her to follow him. 

Abby swallowed hard and headed inside. 

“Shut the door, please.” Kane said as he perched himself on the edge of his desk, his arms folded tightly across his chest. 

Turning to face him, she too crossed her arms in front of her, but she didn’t say anything. Suddenly, it felt like the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

“Is this how it’s going to be?” Kane finally asked breaking the suffocating silence. 

“What do you want me to say?” she asked quietly. 

He let out a bitter laugh. “Seriously, Abby?”

“Look, I’m sorry, ok? I shouldn’t have just left like I did.”

Kane could do nothing but stare at the woman in front of him in disbelief. “So, that’s it? You’re sorry?”

“What do you want from me?” she asked throwing her arms out. “We were drunk, Kane!”

“We may have been drinking, Abby, but I still knew what I was doing, and so did you!”

“Regardless, it was a mistake,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. 

Abby saw Kane stiffen and his eyes turn cold, “Fine, if that’s what you think, then we never have to discuss it again. Good day, Mrs. Griffin,” he said pushing himself from the edge of his desk and taking a seat in his chair. 

Suddenly feeling incredibly guilty, Abby said, “I don’t want to hurt you…”

“I assure you, you didn’t,” he said without looking up. 

**********

As planned, Abby and Clarke spent the Christmas break in Boise visiting her parents. While she was grateful to be home with her family and she successfully managed to push Kane from her mind for most of her trip, the uncomfortable reality of what they had done came rushing back as soon as they landed back in Buffalo. 

“Welcome back!” Diana said with a huge grin as Abby sat down beside her at Spot Coffee the Sunday before classes resumed. “How was Boise?”

“It was nice,” Abby said with a forced smile. “Clarke loved spending time with her grandparents.”

“And what about you?”

“Honestly, I was just grateful to be more than 2,000 miles away from here.” 

“Abby, it’s going to be ok,” Diana said trying to reassure her friend. “I’m sure when we get back on Wednesday, everything will be back to normal.”

“Not likely. You should have seen his face, Diana. He hates me.”

“He’ll get over it, Abs. In time, he’ll get over it and move on.” 

“I can’t stay at Oakbrook and constantly be on edge,” she confessed. “I can’t be the teacher my students deserve if I’m always worried about running into Kane.”

“Abby? What are you saying?”

“I’ve been thinking about requesting a transfer within the district or looking for a new job altogether for next year. Obviously, I need to stick it out where I am until June.” 

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Diana said squeezing Abby’s hand. 

“Thank you, but it’s not your fault. I’m a big girl and I’m responsible for my actions. Now I have to learn to live with them.” 

**********

“Mom, do you have everything?” Marcus asked his mother that same Sunday morning as he loaded the last of her things into his Jeep. 

“I believe so, dear,” she said buckling herself into his passenger seat. 

While his sister and her two children returned to Syracuse a few days after Christmas, Marcus’s mother, Vera, stayed with him a little longer. Normally, he loved having his mother with him and he truly enjoyed her company. But this year, he had not been himself. After everything that happened with Abby, he had been irritable, distant, and cold over the holidays. Even his nephew and niece had asked what was wrong with their Uncle Marcus. He felt guilty but, no matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t able to shake his terrible mood and he was relieved to finally be taking his mother home. 

They rode in silence until Marcus merged onto the I-90 toward Syracuse. “Now that I’ve got you in the car for 3 hours, there’s no escape, Marcus. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I told you I’m fine, Mom.”

“Marcus Alexander Kane,” she said sternly, “I’ve tried not to push, but I can’t remember ever seeing you in such a state and I’m not getting out of this car until you tell what’s going on with you.” 

Marcus let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head in frustration. “It’s nothing that concerns you, Mom. Just leave it alone.” 

“You’re my son, so it concerns me,” she said studying him intently. “Now, spill it, Marcus. We both know if you keep whatever’s going on bottled up inside, you’re bound to explode sooner or later.” 

As much as he hated to admit it, his mother was right and, although he didn’t want to discuss Abby with her, he needed to talk to someone. So, for the rest of their drive east, Marcus told Vera what had happened with Abby Griffin. Like any loving mother, she listened, but didn’t interrupt. When he finished, she took a deep breath, “Oh dear, that is quite a mess.” 

“Yeah,” he admitted. “I’m an administrator. I never should have drank that much, especially at a work function. I should have had more self-control, been more responsible.”

“Well, I won’t argue with you there, but you’re human, Marcus. You just have to try and put it behind you and move on, not only for your sake, but for Abby as well.” 

“I’m not sure how that’s possible, Mom.”

“Because you love her,” Vera said as a statement of fact as opposed to a question. 

Marcus’ head snapped to the right so fast, Vera actually chuckled aloud. 

“Mom…”

“Deny it all you want, Marcus, but I remember you mentioning this Abby long before now.”

“Yeah, what a pain my ass she is and how she makes everything more difficult for no reason!”

“That’s true, but I’ve never seen such fire in your eyes, dear. You’ve never mentioned other teachers before. She may have always gotten under you skin, but I don’t think you really minded all that much,” the older woman smirked. “There’s a fine line between love and hate, Marcus.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter now, does it? She ran. There’s no going back.”

“Give it time, dear. You are technically her boss and I’m sure she just panicked. She probably feared you’d reject her,” Vera said as she reached out and gently rubbed her son’s shoulder. “Everything always works out the way it’s supposed to. You just have to be patient.”


	3. 3

Abby, Marcus, and the rest of Oakbrook Elementary returned from Christmas break on Wednesday January 2nd. Unfortunately, the two week vacation did little to lessen the tension in the air or to make things any less awkward. Doing everything she could to avoid Kane, Abby kept to her wing of the building, staying as far away from the main office as possible. Diana was even checking her mailbox for her twice a day so she didn’t have to. 

Feeling the same way, Marcus was dreading any potential interaction with Mrs. Griffin and he did his best to avoid the 5th grade wing, faculty lounge, and workroom, just in case. He was relieved when he noticed that she seemed to be doing the same, since he hadn’t seen her in the main office at all since classes resumed. 

They successfully managed to steer clear of one another for almost two weeks before their luck finally ran out. “Ready, Abs?” Diana asked popping her head inside Abby’s classroom. 

“I’m not feeling very well. I think I’m just going to head home.”

The blonde crossed her arms in front of her, looking like she was dealing with a defiant student. “Abby, you can’t. Faculty meetings are mandatory, now let’s go.” 

“But…”

“You’re going to have to see him eventually. You know that, right?”

“Is that a challenge?”

Diana rolled her eyes. “It’s like a band aid, you just have to rip it off and get it over with. Now let’s go.” 

“Fine,” Abby sighed. “But you better not leave my side.”

“I promise.”

**********

Abby and Diana were seated in the school’s library with Sinclair and Harper when Kane finally arrived with his Assistant Principal, Indra Woods. Abby bit her lower lip at the sight of him in his navy blue suit with a light brown belt and matching dress shoes. Jesus Christ, he was handsome. 

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Kane greeted with a tight smile. “We have a number of items to go over, so I’ll try to move fast.” 

Almost immediately, it was evident that Kane was doing his best to avoid making eye contact with Abby. As he spoke to his faculty, his eyes continuously scanned the room, but they always skipped right over her. 

As with most faculty meetings, Abby was only half listening as she doodled in her planner and checked her email on her Chromebook, that is until Kane said something that made her blood boil. 

“Unfortunately, we will need to cancel the 5th grade field trip to Camp Pioneer this year.” 

“Excuse me?” Abby said aloud as everyone’s eyes snapped to her. 

Surprised, Kane turned to Abby. “There just aren’t sufficient funds this year to cover the cost of admission and transportation,” he said in a businesslike tone. 

“That field trip is a tradition at this school. Our 5th graders look forward to it all year. You can’t just take that away from them, Kane!” 

The rest of the faculty sat back and enjoyed the show as Principal Kane and Mrs. Griffin began their familiar dance. If nothing else, they were always entertaining to watch. 

Feeling his self-control slipping, Kane took a deep breath, “There’s no need to hold everyone up for a discussion that only affects the 5th grade. Everyone's free to go unless you’d like to discuss the Camp Pioneer field trip further.”

Everyone, except for the 5th grade teachers, quickly made a beeline for the nearest exit. When they were gone, Kane and Indra were left to deal with a small group of very upset teachers. “There has to be a way to fund the field trip?” Diana asked, getting the ball rolling. 

“I’m afraid not. Indra has already confirmed our budget with the district. She even reached out to the PTO hoping they might be able to help.”

“What if we charge a fee for each student?” asked Sinclair. 

“You can’t do that. What about the students who can’t afford it? Are you going to leave them behind?”

“Fine,” Abby said casting her firey gaze on Kane. “We fundraise as much as we can and then charge the students for the difference. If any student can’t afford it, the fundraising money will cover it.”

“It’s the middle of January. All fundraisers for this school year were approved long ago.” 

“It’s an extenuating circumstance, Kane! We didn’t know we’d have to fundraise until today, so I’m sure the district will understand,” Abby argued. 

Kane sighed and rubbed his forehead, “Fine, as the Grade 5 department chair, you have the right to submit a fundraiser for approval, Mrs. Griffin. Keep me posted.”

“Of course,” she glared at him.

With a curt nod, Kane turned on his heel and left the library. Indra, Sinclair, and the other 5th grade teachers weren’t far behind, leaving only Abby and Diana. 

“Well, that was fun,” Diana commented. “See, everything is back to normal.” 

“Yes, he’s still a jackass!” 

“Hey, at least the two of you got that out of the way. Now you can both stop walking on eggshells and looking around corners.” 

Abby rolled her eyes before grabbing her bag and heading home for the night. 

**********

Over the next several weeks, Abby and Marcus seemed to fall back into their usual routine. She still had a knack for being defiant and getting under his skin, while he resumed his arrogant, cold, black and white demeanor when it came to her. In a way, they were both grateful to be butting heads again, since it helped them forget what happened between them or, at least, diminished the memory. 

“What would you like for breakfast this morning, Clarke?” Abby asked as she and her daughter walked into the kitchen one Sunday morning. 

The 7 year old considered the question for a moment, her index finger on her chin. “Belgian Waffles with lots of strawberries and whipped cream!”

“You got it, kiddo,” Abby chuckled. “Why don’t you go watch Vampirina while I get breakfast started?”

“Ok,” the little girl happily agreed before rushing off to watch her favorite Disney Jr cartoon. 

Abby was a decent cook, but breakfast food was definitely her specialty. She loved making everything from waffles, to french toast, to pancakes, to omelettes and everything in between. She also loved finding new recipes online and experimenting. For the most part, they always come out as intended. 

Abby and Clarke had just taken their seats at the kitchen table when Abby’s stomach suddenly flipped. Dashing into the bathroom, she just made it to the toilet in time before last night’s dinner came back up. 

“Mom, are you ok?” Clarke asked from the doorway. 

“I’m fine, baby,” Abby said as got up from the floor and walked over to the bathroom sink. “Mommy just doesn’t feel very well this morning.”

“Do you need anything?”

“No, I’ll be just fine, but thank you,” Abby smiled at her daughter. “Go, enjoy your breakfast. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

When Clarke returned to the kitchen, Abby rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth. Out of nowhere, she felt another wave of nausea hit and she quickly scrambled back to the toilet. Sitting on the cold tile floor with her knees drawn up, she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall, taking several deep breaths. 

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, “No!” she whispered to herself. “No, no, no,” she repeated as she got to her feet and headed for her bedroom. Taking her bag from the oversized chair in the corner, she pulled out her planner and flipped to December, then January, and finally February. The book fell to the wooden floor with a thud as Abby covered her mouth with both hands. “Oh my God.”

Remembering that Clarke was eating breakfast alone, Abby headed back into the kitchen to check on her. She found the little girl devouring her waffle, whipped cream smeared on her face. “Doing ok?”

“Mmm hmm,” was all the girl could say. 

“I need to go back into the bathroom. Will you be ok for a few more minutes?”

When Clarke nodded, Abby walked back into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Rummaging through the vanity drawers, she quickly found what she was looking for. With a shaky hand, she open the box, took out one of the sticks, and held it in her hands. “Just to give me peace of mind,” she said aloud. “There’s no way.”

Sitting on the toilet, she held the stick between her legs, and aimed as best as she could. When she was done, she placed the test on the countertop and set her phone timer for 3 minutes. Taking a seat on the closed toilet seat, she dropped her head into her hands, a million scenarios flashing through her mind. “I’m not pregnant,” she said. “I can’t be.” She hoped that if she repeated it enough, somehow it would make it true. 

Before Abby knew it, the timer went off, signaling that the test was ready. From her seat, she closed her eyes and looked up, “Please, let it be negative.” Slowly, she made her way to the vanity and reached for the white stick. 

PREGNANT

“Oh my God, no!”

**********

A few hours later, Abby dropped Clarke off at a friend’s for an afternoon playdate before heading to Diana’s townhouse. She was still reeling from the results of the pregnancy test and she needed to talk to someone. She just prayed that Diana was home.

Pulling into one of the available parking spaces, she made her way to the front door, and rang the doorbell. Almost immediately, Abby could hear footsteps approaching. 

“Abby?” Diana asked confused when she found her closest friend on her doorstep. “Is everything ok?”

Not being able to hold her tears at bay a moment longer, the floodgates opened, “No.”

Diana pulled Abby inside and wrapped her arms around her as she cried on her shoulder. “Jesus Abby, talk to me. What happened?” she asked as she gently rubbed her back. 

Unable to speak, she pulled away from Diana and reached into her purse. Pulling out the ziplock bag containing the pregnancy, she handed it the other woman. 

Abby heard Diana’s sharp intake of breath, immediately recognizing the object inside the bag. “Abby!” she exclaimed wide-eyed. “You’re pregnant!”

Abby nodded as she sank down onto the couch and continued to cry into her hands. 

“What made you take a test?”

“I got sick this morning,” Abby sniffled. “And when I thought about, I’d missed my period. I never even realized.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to call my doctor first thing in the morning and get an appointment as soon as I can. Will you come with me?” Abby asked looking completely lost.

“Of course I will,” Diana said as she sat down beside her and took Abby’s hand in her own. “Whatever you need, I’m here for you. Always.”

**********

The very next day, Abby’s doctor was able to squeeze her in for a 4pm appointment, giving her and Diana just enough time to make it once school ended. “It’s going to be ok,” Diana assured her as she squeezed her hand in the waiting room. 

“Abby Griffin,” a young nurse called. 

“Here,” Abby said standing up. “It’s ok if my friend comes with me, right?” 

“Of course. Right this way.”

After stopping at the bathroom so Abby could leave a urine sample, the young nurse, Mya, showed Abby and Diana to one of the examination rooms. Less than five minutes later, there was a knock on the door right before Abby’s OB, Dr. Samuelson, entered the room. 

“Hello, Abby,” he said with a warm smile. 

“Hi,” she smiled shyly. “Dr. Samuelson, this is my friend, Diana.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” he said shaking her hand. “So, I understand you had a positive pregnancy test?”

“Yes, just yesterday.”

“The urine sample you just left tested positive as well,” the man informed her looking over the results on his laptop. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

Laying back on the table, Abby lifted her shirt as the doctor prepared the ultrasound machine. “Now Abby, I’m going to take a look first and make sure everything is ok. You ready?”

Abby nodded as Diana gave her a reassuring squeeze. 

Dr. Samuelson turned on the ultrasound and moved the transducer over her belly. Everything seemed to be going well until both women saw the doctor do a double take and his brow furrow. “Well, I’ll be damned.” 

“What’s wrong?” Abby asked suddenly alarmed. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Samuelson chuckled. “But it appears that you’re having twins,” he said turning the monitor for her and Diana to see. 

Both women stared at the monitor, their eyes as wide as saucers. 

“Twins?”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Here is baby A,” the doctor pointed out tracing the body with his pen. “And here is baby B.”

“Oh my God,” Abby said as tears filled her eyes.

“From what I can tell, you look to be about 7 ½ weeks?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That gives you a due date of September 6th, but with twins, you’ll probably deliver in August.”

“Perfect, right before school starts,” Diana said playfully nudging her friend. 

“Are the babies ok?”

“Everything looks like it’s progressing normally and your little ones have strong heartbeats. I’m very pleased with what I’m seeing,” Dr. Samuelson assured her. “I’m going to order some bloodwork, which is routine, and I’ll see you again in 4 weeks. Do you have any questions for me?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Ok, here are a few snapshots of your babies,” he said handing Abby 5 screenshots of her ultrasound. “And I’ll see you back in 4 weeks. Congratulations, Abby.”

“Thank you.”

“Holy shit, Abs,” Diana smiled at the photographs as she looked over Abby’s shoulder. 

“I know,” she replied completely in awe. “Twins.” 

“They look like Kane.”

Abby rolled her eyes, “Shut up, Diana.”


	4. 4

On the way home from her doctor appointment, Abby sat in the passenger seat of Diana’s car unable to take her eyes off the sonogram photos in her hand. Yes, these babies were unplanned and, yes, her relationship with the father was something straight out of daytime television, but she was already in love with the two little lives inside of her. No matter what happened with Kane, Abby was going to be the mother her children deserved. 

“Abby, you have to tell him,” Diana said as she drove. 

“Diana,” Abby sighed. 

“Look, I know this is a difficult situation, but things just got a hell of a lot more complicated….times 2! Besides, it won’t be long before he’ll start to notice, Abs.”

“I know, but I need time to think. I’m not sure if I even want Kane to know about the babies.” 

“Abby what are you talking about?”

“I have two options,” Abby started. “One, I can go to Kane, and tell him about the babies. Maybe he’ll want to be a father, maybe he won’t, but I’ll be raising three kids as a single mom. Or, two, I can resign from Oakbrook, pack up Clarke, and head back to Boise. My parents have been begging me to move home for years and I know they’d help. Kane would never have to know.”

Diana was shocked. “Abby, I know things are a mess between you and Kane right now, but don’t you think he deserves to know that he’s going to be a father? Don’t those babies deserve to know their Daddy?” 

“It’s not that simple. I have to think about what’s best for all of children, including Clarke.”

“Abs, I’m not saying you have to marry the guy, unless you want to, of course,” the blonde teased. “But, at least tell him so he can help you financially.”

“I don’t want his money, Diana.”

“Abby, I know how much you make. Trust me, you do.”

Although Abby hated to admit it, Diana was right. She really needed to think about this before making any decision that would alter the course of five lives forever.

“Besides, you’re going to need Kane in other ways too, Abs, because I don’t do diapers.” 

**********

“Abby. Diana. Do you have a moment?”

Both women turned to find Kane walking toward them the next morning as they entered the building. 

“You don’t want us to be late to homeroom, do you Mr. Kane?” Diana asked with a fake smile. 

“This will only take a moment,” he assured her. “I just wanted to let you know that there will be no need to move forward with any fundraising for the field trip to Camp Pioneer.”

“Really?” 

“How is that possible, Kane?” Abby asked. “A few weeks ago, you were ready to cancel the trip without a second thought and you were adamant that there was no money. What’s changed?”

Kane cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes, “Yes, well, I know how special Camp Pioneer is for our 5th grade class, so I persuaded the district to find the funds necessary to make it happen.”

Abby was shocked and she definitely wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if it was Kane. “Thank you. The kids will be thrilled,” Abby said. 

“You’re welcome,” Kane said with a nod. “It was a long shot, but we got lucky. I’m just hap…….” he trailed off when both he and Diana noticed Abby suddenly turn a sickly shade of gray. 

“Excuse me….” Abby managed to get out before taking off down the hallway with her hand over her mouth. 

“I should make sure she’s ok,” Diana said as she turned and started down the hall. 

“What’s wrong with her?” Kane yelled after her. 

“I’m sure she’s fine. No worries.” 

**********

Diana found Abby hugging the toilet in the women’s faculty bathroom. She waited outside the stall until a peaked looking Abby emerged a few minutes later. 

“What did Kane say?” Abby asked as she rinsed her mouth and washed her hands. 

Diana crossed her arms and looked at her friend through the mirror. “He asked what was wrong. I didn’t give him a chance to say anything else.” 

“You don’t think he suspects anything, do you?”

“Probably not yet,” Diana sighed. “But, you need to tell him.”

“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet. I need more time.”

“Sweetie, you need to figure it out, because if you keep getting sick at work like this, he’s going to realize pretty quick that you’re knocked up.”

“I know,” Abby said quietly. 

**********

Later that week, Marcus sat in his office inputting the day’s teacher observations into his computer. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about Abby and how she’d gotten sick Tuesday morning. It also didn’t help that he overhead a few of the teachers mentioning that she’d also been sick Wednesday and Thursday too. People love to gossip, especially teachers, and he didn’t miss the whispered, “Do you think she’s knocked up?” as he was getting a Pepsi from the faculty room vending machine. He kept telling himself that it was nothing, that she probably just ate something that didn’t agree with her or maybe it was a flu bug. He just wished he believed it because something in his gut was telling him it was so much more. 

Marcus was well aware of the fact that he and Abby did not use protection that night, but he didn’t want to let himself go there. Not because he hoped it wasn’t true, but because a part of prayed that it was.

Sitting back in his office chair, he let out a heavy sigh as he ran his hands through his hair. This was crazy. What was the hell was he thinking? Him and Abby? A baby? What a disaster that would be. Shaking the thought from his head, he tried to return to his work, but he was immediately interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“Come in.” 

“Sorry to disturb you, Sir,” his Secretary Rhonda apologized. “But I just wanted to let you know that Mrs. Griffin went home ill.”

“She’s sick again? Is she ok?”

“I don’t know the details, but she was with Julie before she left.” 

“Thank you, Rhonda.”

Getting to his feet, Marcus walked across the hall to the Nurse’s Office. “Hello Julie. Everything ok in here?” he asked at the sight of one of their kindergarteners in tears. 

“Oh, yeah, she’s fine. Just a scraped knee, right Kayleigh?”

The little girl shook her head and wiped the tears from her face, “Uh huh.”

Marcus couldn’t help but smile at the adorable 5 year old with the dark curls. 

“Off you go, sweetheart,” Julie said when she’d bandaged the scrape and sent the girl back to her teacher. “What can I do for you, Mr. Kane?”

“I understand Abby Griffin went home sick today?”

“Yes, she did, but you know I can’t discuss it with you. It’s confidential.” 

“I was just concerned.”

“She’ll be just fine. I promise,” the nurse said with a smile. “It’s nothing life threatening.” 

“Ok,” he nodded. “Have a good day, Julie.” 

Instead of heading back across the hall to his office, he decided to take a left and found himself in front of Diana Sydney’s classroom a few minutes later. Lucky for him, she was on her prep period and she was alone.

“Hello Diana,” he greeted as he walked into her room. 

Startled, Diana jumped slightly at her desk. “You scared me, Kane.”

“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention.”

“What can I do for you?”

“Rhonda just told me that Abby went home sick.”

“Yes, that’s right. She wasn’t feel well,” the blonde said as she busied herself at her desk, not wanted to make eye contact. 

“From what I hear, she’s been sick every day this week.”

“Has she? She didn’t mention that to me,” she lied rifling through a stack of papers. 

“Diana,” Kane said sounding more annoyed than he intended. 

She finally looked up to see Kane staring at her with his hands on his hips. “What do you want me to say, Kane? If it’s bothering you so much, why don’t you call her?”

Marcus could do that, but he knew good and well that Abby wouldn’t tell him anything. He also knew that Diana was her best friend and that if something was going on, she would know. To hell with it. “Is she pregnant?”

Diana actually gasped at his words, staring at him wide-eyed and speechless. 

“Is she?” Kane asked almost desperately. 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said rather unconvincingly, once again avoiding eye contact. 

Not convinced, Kane stood his ground and continued to glare at the woman in front of him. 

“Jesus Christ!” Diana exclaimed when she finally mustered the courage to look at him. “If you want to know what’s going on with Abby, I suggest you stop by her house on your way home and ask her yourself. I can’t tell you anything, Kane.” 

“Are you going to text her the second I leave the room and warn her?”

“Yep.” 

Kane sighed. “Of course you are,” he said as he headed out the door. 

**********

Diana: Just a heads up, you’re going to have a visitor. 

Abby: Please tell me it’s not who I think? 

Diana: It is.

Abby: What am I going to do? I knew I shouldn’t have gone home. 

Diana: He figured it out, Abby. Just tell him the truth. 

**********

Marcus pulled in front of Abby’s split-level home less than 15 minutes after school ended. Knowing that Diana had probably already warned her, he was surprised to see her car parked in the driveway. “At least she didn’t run away,” he said aloud as he got out of his Jeep and made his way to the front door. 

Taking a deep breath, he reached out and pushed the doorbell. As if she had been waiting for him, he immediately heard footsteps right before the door opened. 

Kane momentarily forgot why he was there at the sight of Abby with her hair down, barefoot, and wearing a pair of leggings and a crewneck sweatshirt. He had never seen her look so casual before and yet it was sexy as hell. 

Realizing he was staring, he quickly looked away and cleared his throat. “You don’t look surprised to see me?” he said. 

“Diana told me you’d probably be stopping by. Come in, we need to talk.”


	5. 5

“You have a lovely home,” Marcus said as Abby escorted him into the living room. 

“Thank you.” 

They stood in awkward silence, neither sure where to even begin. Finally, Marcus couldn’t take it anymore. “Why have you been sick, Abby?”

Abby crossed her arms, looking down at the floor in front of her, but didn’t say anything. 

“Are you pregnant?” 

She finally looked up at him and bit her lower lip. “Yes.” 

Marcus stared at her, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. Feeling like his legs were about to give out, he sat down on the couch and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “How long have you known?”

“I took a test Sunday and my doctor confirmed it Monday afternoon.”

“Are you ok? Is the baby ok?”

Here we go, Abby thought to herself. “I’m fine…..and the babies are fine too.”

Babies?” Marcus asked, a look of complete shock on his face. 

Without saying a word, she walked over to the end table, opened the drawer, and pulled out the sonogram photos. Handing them to Marcus, she took a seat next to him on the couch and watched as he flipped through the five screenshots with trembling hands. 

“My God….”

“I know,” she said. “I still can’t believe it.”

Marcus couldn’t take his eyes off the sonogram photos. Two babies? His children. His and Abby’s children. Suddenly, it struck him, “Were you planning to tell me?”

Abby sighed, “I don’t know.” 

Marcus pursed his lips and nodded sadly as he set the photos down on the coffee table in front of them. 

“I’m not trying to hurt you…”

“That sounds familiar,” he interrupted in a bitter tone, referring to that day in his office. 

“It’s true.”

“But yet you may not have told me that I’m going to be a father. Makes sense.” 

“I’m just trying to do what’s best for my children, Kane, including Clarke. I have to put the three of them first.” 

“I get that, but how is keeping me away from MY kids what’s best, Abby?”

They could feel themselves heading down an all too familiar path, but for the sake of the babies, they both tried to remain calm. 

“It’s not that simple,” she sighed as she dropped her head into her hands. “We’ve never been able to get along for more than 5 minutes, Kane. How the hell are we supposed to co-parent twins?”

“Never? We seemed to get along very well the night of the Christmas party.”

Abby couldn’t stop the her eye roll. “Yes, too bad we needed to be intoxicated for it to happen.”

“So what was your plan? Were you hoping I just wasn’t going to notice?”

“I was either going to tell you or….”

“Or what?”

“Or I was going to move back home.”

“Home? To Idaho?” As hard as he was trying to keep himself calm, hearing Abby admit that she was going to run over 2,000 miles away with his children was not helping. “You were going to run off to the other side of the country with my kids and never tell me they existed?” he roared, suddenly rising from the couch and beginning to pace. 

“Well, you know now.”

“Does that mean you’re staying?”

Abby didn’t want to fight with him but she also didn’t want to lie. Regardless, they needed to have this conversation. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but a part of me thinks it would be better for all of us if I went back to Boise. My parents are there…”

“Better?” he cut her off. “Are you really going to sit there and tell me that it’s better for those babies not to have a father?”

“As opposed to them growing up with the two of us constantly at each other’s throats?” she spat back. 

Marcus let out an exasperated sigh, running his hands through his hair. 

Before either of could say another word, they heard the school bus pull up to Abby’s house. “Oh God, Clarke’s home,” she said as she hurried to the front door to meet her. 

Marcus looked out the large window just in time to see a a tiny blonde blur run up the driveway toward the house. 

“Hi sweetie! How was school?”

“Good,” the little girl answered as Abby helped her out of her coat and boats.

“Clarke, come into the living room with me. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” 

“Who?”

“You’ll see.” 

Coming around the corner, Abby saw Marcus had returned to his seat on the couch. He stood as soon as they returned to the living room. 

“Clarke, this is Marcus. He’s the Principal of the school where Mommy teaches,” Abby explained. “Marcus, this is my daughter, Clarke.”

Squatting down so he was eye-level with her, Marcus smiled warmly and extended his hand. “Hello, Clarke. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“You too,” the girl answered shyly. 

“Are you a Sabres fan?” Marcus asked gesturing to her Buffalo Sabres hoodie. 

“Yeah,” she smiled. “It was Sabres day at school today.”

“Really? That’s pretty cool. I’m a Sabres fan too.”

“They’re not very good.”

Marcus laughed. “That’s true, they’re not, but I have hope that will be some day.”

Realizing they were not going to be able to continue their conversation, Marcus knew it was time to go, for now. “Well, I should get going.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Abby immediately answered. “Clarke, can you pull out your “take home” folder for me while I’m gone? We can get a jump on your homework.”

The little girl groaned causing both adults to chuckle as they walked to the front door. 

“Will you be at work tomorrow?”

“That’s the plan.”

“We still have a lot to discuss, Abby.”

“I’m aware, but not at school.”

“Agreed.”

“I’m sure I can call a sitter for a few hours tomorrow night, if you’re free?”

“Yes, that’ll work.”

“We’ll have to meet at your place, since Clarke will be here with the sitter.”

“That’s fine,” he said offering a small smile. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Bye.”

Closing the door behind him, Abby leaned against it and closed her eyes. She’d thought she would feel some measure of relief once Kane learned the truth, but that was short lived. Now that he knew, there was no going back, and he would be a part of her life forever. 

**********

As soon as Marcus arrived home, he sat down at his kitchen island, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed a familiar number. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Marcus! How’s my favorite little brother?” Aurora Blake asked from her home just East of Syracuse. 

“I’m ok, but I need your advice. Your legal advice.” 

Aurora had graduated from Duke Law and now worked as a family lawyer in Central New York. She was 2 years older than Marcus and she had always been very protective of her brother. 

“My advice? Is everything ok?”

“I don’t know,” he said sounding more lost than she’d ever heard him. “Long story short, I slept with one of the teachers at my school and now she’s pregnant.”

“What?”

“With twins.”

“Oh my God!” she yelled through the phone. “Wait, are you positive your the father.”

“Yes, I’m the father, Aurora. Trust me.”

“Ok, just checking. If you’re not worried about paternity, why do you need me?”

“She said she’s thinking of moving back home, to Boise, Idaho. She thinks it will be better for the kids.”

“And you’re wondering what rights you have as the biological father?”

“Yes.” 

Aurora sighed through the phone. “Well, you can’t petition the court for joint custody or visitation until the kids are born. In the meantime, I’m sorry Marcus, you can’t stop her from moving while she’s pregnant.” 

“So she can just pick up and move over 2,000 miles away and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it?”

“I’m afraid not. Not until they’re born,” she told him. “I’m guessing you’re not in a relationship with this woman if she is thinking of moving?”

“No, it was just one night.” 

“My suggestion to you, as your sister and as someone that loves you, is do whatever you can to convince her to stay in NY. Don’t give her any reason to leave, Marcus. Things will get a lot more complicated if we have to deal with NY and ID courts.”

“Ok.”

“And please keep me updated.”

“I will,” he agreed. “But please don’t say anything to Mom, as least, not yet.” 

“I promise.”

**********

As Marcus was discussing the situation with his sister, Diana was walking through Abby’s front door. 

“Well, I don’t see blood spatter anywhere, so that’s a good sign,” Diana said as she took off her coat and followed Abby into the kitchen. 

“Very funny.”

Diana took a seat at the kitchen table while Abby poured each of them a cup of tea. 

“Thank you,” Diana said taking her cup as Abby sat in the seat next to her. “Ok, now tell me everything.”

Abby let out a heavy sigh, “He showed up, just like you said he would and he asked me point blank if I was pregnant.”

“The man is nothing if not straightforward. Then what?”

“I said I was, of course. He asked how long I’d known and if me and the baby were both ok.”

“Baby?” Diana asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“You should have seen his face when I said, yes, the babies are just fine,” Abby chuckled. 

“I bet it was the first time Kane was ever speechless?” the blonde laughed. 

“I showed him the sonogram pictures and I think he fell in love just like I did. I’ve never seen such a wistful look in his eyes before.”

“That’s great, isn’t it? That means he wants to be a father.”

“Maybe,” Abby said as she stared into her tea cup. 

“Abs, what’s wrong?”

“I made the mistake of telling him I was thinking about moving back to Boise. He didn’t exactly take it well.” 

“You can’t really blame him,” Diana said. “You just told him he’s going to be a father and then, in the next breath, you said you might take his kids away. I don’t think anyone would react well to that.”

“Ugh! I know. It’s just such a mess.”

“How did the two of you leave things?”

“Clarke came home, so we agreed to meet tomorrow night at his house.”

“Oh, going back to the love shack, are we?” Diana winked and flashed a devilish smirk.

“Diana!” Abby yelled swatting her arm. “Trust me, there will be none of that.”

“Abby, be honest, do you really want to give up your job and move back to Boise? Regardless of your relationship with Kane, you can’t deny that he’d be an amazing father.”

“I know. I’m sure he would be. I just don’t want to expose our children to constant yelling and arguing. Kane and I have never been able to get along, no matter how hard we’ve tried. We disagree on everything. Can you imagine the two of use trying to co-parent together? It would be a disaster.” 

“The two of you seemed to be doing just fine at Rocco’s.”

“The booze helped.”

“Maybe, but it was more than just the booze, Abby. I saw the way you BOTH looked at one another. There is definitely something there and you know it.”

**********

Early the next morning, Abby sat in her classroom preparing for the day ahead. While she still wasn’t feeling 100%, she needed to push through. She hadn’t had morning sickness with Clarke, so this was all new territory for Abby. It was already clear to her that these “little Kanes” were not going to make this easy on their Mama. 

“Morning.” 

Abby looked up to see Kane walking through the door of her room. “Morning,” she responded with a hint of uncertainty. 

“I heard this helps with morning sickness,” he said placing a lidded cup on her desk.

“What is it?”

“Herbal tea. Diana said you’d probably like the Red Raspberry.” 

Abby looked at him surprised, not only that he would bring her tea, but that he had taken the time to ask Diana what she would like. “Thank you,” she said taking a sip. “Mmm, that’s really good.”

Marcus smiled proudly and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You’re welcome.”

“We’re still on for 7 tonight, right?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll text you address later today.”

“Sounds good.”

“Well, have a good day, Abby,” he smiled as he turned and headed out of the door.

“You too, Marcus.”


	6. 6

 

Since Marcus arrived home from work, he had cleaned his entire house, snowblowed his driveway, showered, and shaved. He was fully aware that he was being ridiculous, but he didn’t care. Abby, the mother of his children, was due to arrive in less than 30 minutes and he wanted to make a good impression. Yes, she had been to his home before, but this was different. He was no longer Kane, her boss. He was now Marcus, the father of her children. 

Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, he pulled his 3rd shirt of the evening over his head and headed back into his closet. He didn’t want to look too comfortable, like he didn’t care, but he didn’t want to overdress either or come across as if he was trying too hard. Finally, he settled on a long sleeve heather gray henley and dark blue jeans. Rolling up the sleeves, he gave himself a nod of approval, when he heard the doorbell. 

After making his way downstairs, he was suddenly more nervous than he’d been in years. Pausing in front of the door, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Abby, please come in,” he greeted with a warm smile. 

“Hi Marcus.”

As soon as Abby stepped through the door, the memory of their night together flashed in front of her eyes. 

“Can I take your coat?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you,” she said as she shrugged off her North Face and handed it to him. 

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you, I’m fine.”

“Ok. How about we go into the family room,” he said gesturing to the back of the house. 

Abby nodded and followed him through the entry and down the hall to a large open concept family room that opened to the kitchen. Everything was beautifully updated and modern, while still being comfortable. During her walk of shame the morning after the Christmas party, she came down the stairs and immediately exited out the front door, so this was the first time she was actually getting a good look at his home. 

“Have a seat.” 

They sat next to one another, at a comfortable distance of course, on the large sectional, both unsure of how to start this conversation again. Abby, being Abby, decided to get the ball rolling. “You live here by yourself?”

“Yes. Why?” Marcus asked as he furrowed his brow. 

Abby shrugged. “It’s beautiful, but it just seems like a lot of house for a single man.”

“It is,” he said simply. “After my divorce, I was looking at condos, townhomes, and small ranches, but I didn’t find anything that felt right. That’s when a buddy of mine was transferred to Virginia, so he needed to sell this place fast. He gave me such a great deal, I just couldn’t say no. Not to mention, my mom, sister, and her kids visit quite often, so I need the extra space.” 

“I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s ok. It’s a legitimate question.” 

“Thank you again for the tea this morning.”

“You’re welcome. How are you feeling today?”

“Not great, but better than I have been, that’s for sure. I was never sick with Clarke, so this is all new to me.” 

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. 

“It’s not your fault…...oh wait, it is your fault. Nevermind,” she teased. 

Marcus couldn’t help but chuckle as he turned a shade of pink. “So, you must be 8 weeks now?”

Abby nodded. “Yes, 8 weeks today actually.” 

“That would mean late August or early September?”

“My doctor said my official due date is September 6, but with twins, it will probably be August.” 

Marcus nodded, still trying to absorb the fact that he would be a father in just a few months. 

“Looks like I’m going to have to find you a leave replacement for the start of next school year, aren’t I?”

At the mention of next year, Abby looked down at her hands, unsure of what to say to that. Would she still be living in Buffalo when the babies arrived? Or would she be in Boise? She still couldn’t answer that with any certainty. 

“Marcus…” she started. 

“Abby, please don’t take my kids to Idaho. I’m begging you.”

“I still don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You’d really walk away from your career, your friends, your life here?”

“I’m not saying it would be easy, Marcus, but I need to be realistic and think about what is best for all of my children, long term.” 

Marcus hesitated for a moment, like he was trying to build up enough courage to say whatever he was thinking. “What if I had another solution? A better solution, for all of us, including Clarke?”

Abby regarded him skeptically, but she was intrigued. “Oh really?”

“Yes,” he said confidently.

“Ok, I’m all ears.” 

Marcus stood up and momentarily paced in front of her, again, looking like he was building up his nerve. “What if we did this together?”

“Excuse me? What does that even mean?”

“It means we raise our kids together, including Clarke, under one roof, as a family.” 

Was he out of his mind? Live together? “You can’t be serious?” Abby asked looking at him like he was insane. 

“Abby, just think about it. Our kids would have both of us all the time. We wouldn’t have to pass them back and forth constantly. They’d have a stable home with two parents.”

Yep, he was definitely crazy, Abby thought to herself. “Marcus, we aren’t even together!”

“I know that and we don’t have to be.”

“So what? We’re roommates?”

“We can be whatever you want? Obviously co-parents and we’ll share everything 50/50, but hopefully friends too.”

“Marcus, you’re just saying this because you don’t want me to move back home.”

“You’re damn right I don’t want you to move!” he acknowledged a little louder than he intended. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. “Look, I won’t deny that it’s part of it, but even if you decide to stay in WNY, I still think we should do this.”

“We’ve always struggled to see eye to eye and, more often than not, any interaction we have ends up in some type of argument. How can you possibly think that we’d be able to live under the same roof? We’d probably kill one another and do you really want to expose our children to that kind of an environment?”

Slowly, Marcus walked back over to the couch and reclaimed his seat beside her, this time a little closer than before. “Abby, I know we can do this. Surely, you agree that it’s better for these babies to have both of us?”

“Of course, but….”

“Then that’s all that matters. I’m not saying that it will easy, in fact, I’m sure it won’t be, but if it’s what’s best for our kids, don’t we have to try?”

Abby was speechless. Live with Marcus Kane? She almost wanted to laugh, but the look in his eyes was so sincere and loving that it threw her for a loop. This side of him was unfamiliar to her. “Where would we even live?”

“I think here would be the best option, don’t you?”

“Why do we have to live in your house?” she asked slightly offended. 

“Abby, you said it yourself, it’s a big house.”

“It is, but I don’t exactly live in a shoebox, Marcus.” 

“Come with me,” he said as he rose from the couch and headed for the stairs. When he noticed that she hadn’t moved, he paused and looked at her. “Please.”

“Why?” she asked with her arms crossed.

“I’d like to show you why this house is a better option. Humor me.”

“Fine,” she sighed as she got up and followed him to the staircase. Again, she tried not to think about the last time she’d been to his house. 

“This house actually has two master suites, one on each side, so you would have your own bedroom, bathroom, and walk-in closet,” he told her as they stood at the top of the stairs. “I’m on the right. You can have the one on the left.”

“And the kids?”

“There are two more bedrooms on this floor that share a jack and jill bath. Obviously, Clarke would take one and the twins would share the other.”

“You said your family visits. Where would they stay?”

“There’s a finished basement with a half bath, another family room, and a smaller room that I can easily turn into a guest room.”

“Hmm,” was all she could say. 

“Follow me, there’s more,” he said with a cocky smirk that she wanted to slap off. 

Continuing down the upstairs hallway, he led her into one of the kid’s bedrooms that overlooked the backyard. Peering out the window, he pointed out several other features, “In the backyard, there’s a playset and a pool and the neighborhood is crawling with young children. Perfect for kids.” 

“Why do you have a playset?” she asked raising her brow. 

“It was here when I bought the house. I left it up for Bellamy and Octavia, that’s my nephew and niece. They love it,” he said proudly. “You’re not saying anything, so that must mean I’m right.”

“I’m not denying it’s a beautiful home, but so is mine.”

“I agree, but imagine 2 adults and 3 growing children in it. It’ll be bursting at the seams in no time.” 

“What about Clarke? She’d have to change schools.”

“True, but she’d be attending the school we both work at. That should help make the transition a little easier, don’t you think?” 

Abby crossed her arms and continued to look out the window overlooking the backyard. She hated to admit it, but if they were going to move in together, this was the perfect house. Damn. 

“Oh, I get it,” Marcus said knowingly. 

“What?”

“The house isn’t the problem. The problem is that it’s MY house.”

She rolled her eyes at him but didn’t deny it. 

“Seriously, Abby?”

“I’m sorry, but the thought of living in a house where everything is yours isn’t terribly appealing. It wouldn’t feel like my home.”

“Then make it yours,” he said simply. “Let me know what you need to make it feel like your home. You want me to paint? I’ll do it. You want different furniture? We’ll go shopping. Name it.” 

Was he serious? To put it simply this kind, soft version of Kane was freaking her out. What happened to the man she had gone toe-to-toe with for the last 4 years? 

“What would we tell people?” she finally asked turning to him.

“Whatever you feel comfortable telling them,” he shrugged.

“I don’t want to lie and pretend to be in a romantic relationship. It will be too confusing for Clarke. I can’t do that to her.” 

“Fair enough. We’ll simply tell people that we’ve decided to raise our kids together, end of story.”

She let out a heavy sigh as she let everything they had discussed sink in. “I need time to think about this, Marcus.”

“I understand. Take your time.” 

“I should probably get going. I told the babysitter I wouldn’t be gone long,” she told him as she started to head back downstairs. 

“I’ll grab your coat.”

Marcus helped her with her coat and walked her to the front door. “Drive safe.”

“I will,” she said offering a tiny smile. “Oh Marcus, my next sonogram is in 3 weeks. You’re welcome to come, if you want?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Great. Night Marcus.”

“Goodnight, Abby.”

Closing the door behind her, he watched out the window as she hopped into her car and pulled out of his driveway. That had gone well, he thought to himself. Now, he just hoped Abby would agree that they should raise their children together. Even if she insisted on living in her home, or possibly buying a new one together, he would do it in a heartbeat if it meant being with his kids.


	7. 7

“Sorry I’m late,” Abby apologized on Sunday morning as she hopped on a treadmill next to Diana at the YMCA. 

“No worries. I just got here. Morning sickness again?”

“I felt a little nauseous, but that’s it. At least I haven’t thrown up in a few days.”

“That’s good,” the blonde smiled. “Now spill it. What happened at Kane’s Friday night?”

“We talked.”

“And?”

“And he asked me and Clarke to move in with him,” Abby told her with a shrug. 

Diana immediately hit the emergency stop on her treadmill and stared at her best friend wide-eyed. “Excuse me!?”

“What are you doing? I’ve barely gone a quarter of a mile yet.”

“Fine, I’ll keep going if you start talking,” Diana said as she resumed her pace. “Explain please.”

“He thinks it’s best for all of us to live under the same roof, despite not being in a romantic relationship.” 

“And you’re actually considering this?”

Abby sighed, “I don’t know. Maybe. At first, I thought he’d lost his mind, but what he said made sense.”

“Such as?”

“That it would be best for the twins if we lived together. They’d always have both of us and wouldn’t have to be passed back and forth.”

“Ok, that’s a given. What else?”

“As much as I didn’t want to agree with him, his house is perfect. It’s so much bigger than mine. There’s even a finished basement, playset, and inground pool.”

“What about you? Will you and Kane be sharing a bedroom?” Diana wiggled her eyebrows. 

“Haha. No, of course not,” Abby assured her. “He said there are two masters, one on each side of the house.” 

“Pity.”

The corners of Abby’s mouth quirked up as she shook her head. “But, obviously it would mean uprooting Clarke from her home and her school. I don’t know if that’s fair to her.”

“Are you still thinking of moving back home?”

“I don’t think so. The more I think about it, moving back to Boise would be selfish on my part. It might be easier on me to have my parents around, but I’d be separating my kids from their father. I can’t do that, especially now that I see how much he wants to be a dad.” 

“So, you’re either going to stay where you are or move in with Kane?”

“Those seem to be my options, yes,” Abby said before taking a drink of her water. “What do you think I should do?”

“How the hell should I know?” Diana laughed. 

“Thanks a lot. Love you too.”

“Abs, I can’t tell you what to do. Only you know what’s best for you and those kids.”

Stopping their treadmills, both Abby and Diana wiped down their machines and headed for the women’s locker room. “I told Marcus I needed time to think about his offer.”

“Oh, it’s Marcus now?”

“I guess so,” Abby shrugged, just now realizing that he’d somehow made the transition from Kane to Marcus. “Diana, at least tell me your opinion. You’re my best friend, you know Marcus, and I trust you. Please.”

With a sigh, Diana sat down on the bench in front of their lockers, “Honestly? Part of me is having a hard time picturing you and Kane living under the same roof and not killing one another. You’re the two most stubborn people I’ve ever met and you both like to be in control. One of you is going to have to bend if this arrangement has any hope of working.” 

“You’re right,” Abby said quietly. 

“But…” Diana added. “I definitely think the two people I saw that night at Rocco’s can make it work,” she smiled. 

Abby gave Diana an amused look and folded her arms in front of her. “So we just need to have plenty of alcohol on hand and we’ll be just fine? Is that what you’re saying?”

“You both work in education, you should already have plenty of it on hand.” 

They both laughed. 

“There was something there Abby. I saw it that night and so did everyone else.”

“Diana, he didn’t ask me to move in because he wants to be in a relationship, he asked me to move in for our kids. We’d basically be roommates.” 

“For now,” Diana said looking at her skeptically. “We’ll see how long that lasts with the two of you sleeping down the hall from one another.”

“Stop,” Abby said as she zipped up her coat. 

“Come on, Chica, I’ll buy you an herbal tea,” said Diana as she looped her arm through Abby’s and the two friends headed for the parking lot. 

**********  
The next few weeks passed uneventfully for both Abby and Marcus. She was still considering his offer and he was careful not to push her. While they didn’t see one another outside of work, Marcus made a point to check on her each day before classes started, which usually meant bringing her an herbal tea or even something healthy to eat for breakfast. At first, she didn’t know how she felt about him bringing her something homemade, but once she tried his spinach egg wrap that first morning, her uncertainty flew right out the window. She’s still not sure how she kept from moaning after that first bite. Clearly, the man could cook. 

“Your doctor’s appointment is at 4 o’clock, right?”

“Yep,” Abby said taking a sip of her tea. “Do you want to follow me?”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could drive you?”

Abby had assumed he’d want to meet her at the doctor’s office, but it was probably best for them to ride together. It would give them a chance to talk. “Sure, you can drive. I’ll meet you in the front foyer at 3:30.”

“Great. Have a good day,” he smiled. 

“You too.”

**********  
“Nervous?” Abby asked later that afternoon as she and Marcus sat in the waiting room. 

“Maybe a little,” he chuckled. “This is all new to me.”

“Abby Griffin,” the same nurse from before, Mya, called from the open door on the opposite side of the room.

“Showtime,” she winked at Marcus as they both made their way to the door. 

Once again, Mya led them down the hallway and into one of the examination rooms. After taking Abby’s weight and blood pressure, she and Marcus were left to wait for Dr. Samuelson. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long. 

“Hello Abby,” the older man said as he entered the room. 

“Hi,” she smiled. “Dr. Samuelson, this is Marcus…” Abby stopped, suddenly not sure how to introduce the man beside her. Was he her friend? Her partner?

“The father?” the doctor finally finished for her.

“Yes.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said extending his hand. 

“You too,” Marcus replied. 

“Well, all of your labs came back normal, which I expected. How have you been feeling?”

“Tired and I’ve had some morning sickness, but that seems to be getting better.” 

“All completely normal,” he assured. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”

Abby laid back and lifted her shirt while Marcus stood beside her, suddenly looking more nervous. “You ready?” she asked him.

He didn’t say anything, but he smiled and nodded. 

“There they are,” Dr. Samuelson said as the monitor came to life and two tiny blobs moved on the screen. 

Abby smiled lovingly at the sight of her two little surprises, while Marcus was completely in awe. He stared at the screen, his eyes as big as saucers, and he knew he was already in love. 

“Are they ok?” Abby asked snapping Marcus out of his trance. 

“Everything looks good,” the doctor smiled. “They’re heart rates are strong and they’re both measuring right where they should be.” 

“Are they identical or fraternal?” Marcus asked. 

“Identical,” Dr. Samuelson answered. “As you can see here, they share the same amniotic sac, so you’ll either have two identical boys or two identical girls.”

“When will we be able to find out?” Abby asked. 

“Well, I wouldn’t be able to tell you with any certainty until 18-22 weeks, but there are several private 3D ultrasound locations in the area that can determine gender as early as 13 weeks.” 

“Really? We’d be able to know in less than 2 weeks?”

“Yes,” Samuelson smiled. “If that is something you’re interested in, Janice can give you the information at check-out. Most of my patients use Baby Bungalow and they’ve always been very happy.”

On their way out, Abby made sure to pick up the information for Baby Bungalow. She and Marcus still needed to discuss if they even wanted to find out the genders of their babies, but she wanted to be prepared. 

“Do you want to find out?” Abby asked once they were inside the car. 

“Do you?”

“I was surprised with Clarke, which was nice, but I think there’s something to be said for being prepared and having everything ready to go,” she said looking at the new sonogram photos. “Yes, I’d like to know.”

“Me too,” he nodded in agreement. 

“Ok, I’ll call this Baby Bungalow place and schedule an appointment for a gender reveal.”

They drove in comfortable silence as Abby continued to look at the sonogram photos and Marcus was lost in his own thoughts. A father? He and his ex-wife had tried for almost 7 years to conceive, but it never happened for them. They’d both been devastated and, in the end, it slowly drove them apart. Marcus had given up all hope that he’d get the chance to be a dad, but now, almost 6 years after his divorce and at age 40, he was finally going to be a father....to twins! He was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea but he knew he’d never been happier. 

“Are you disappointed we won’t have one of each, a boy and a girl?” Abby’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. 

“No, not at all,” he quickly assured her. “All I care about is that they’re healthy.”

“So you’d be perfectly happy living with four women?” Abby smirked. 

“Of course, I……” he trailed off realizing what she said. “Wait, living with? Does that mean you’ve decided to take me up on my offer to move in?”

“As much as it kills me to say this…..you’re right. It’s what’s best for these babies.” 

“I’m sorry, but can you repeat that?”

“It’s what’s best.”

“No, the first part. Can you repeat the first part?”

“Not a chance,” she chuckled. 

“Damn,” he smiled. “So, when do you want to do this?”

“I’m not sure,” Abby shrugged. “I’ve already contacted a realtor and she’s confident that my house will sell quickly, but I’d prefer to wait until winter is over before trying to move.” 

“Ok, whatever you want.”

“Besides, I still need to tell Clarke, not just about the move, but also about the babies. It’s going to be a lot for her.” 

“It will, but I really think it’s the right decision, Abby.”

“I think so too,” she said offering a small smile. “Would you be willing to have dinner with me and Clarke sometime? If she’s going to live with you, I’d like her to get to know you a little bit before the move.” 

“Absolutely. I’d love too.”

“Really?” Abby asked somewhat surprised at his enthusiasm. 

“Of course. I want Clarke to like me and to be comfortable once you both move in,” he assured her. “Just name the time and place and I’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. 

“You’re welcome,” he smiled. “We should bring her with us to the gender reveal. She’s their big sister, so she should be a part of it too.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“No, I want her there.”

Abby watched him as he drove and she couldn’t help but think how different this Marcus was from Principal Kane. It was like night and day, but in a good way. She found that she genuinely liked Marcus and actually enjoyed spending time with him, something she never thought she would say before the Christmas party. Would they be able to make their cohabitation work? Only time would tell but, for the first time since learning she was pregnant, Abby felt like everything was going to be ok. Even if they weren’t able to live under the same roof, she knew Marcus would still be a dedicated father and, for that, she was grateful. 

**********

“Hey kiddo,” Abby greeted her daughter as she entered the living room a few days later. “Whatcha doin?”

“Watching Paw Patrol,” the little blonde said from her seat on the living room sofa. 

“Can we pause this for a few minutes? There’s something I need to talk to you about?” 

“Ok.”

Abby paused the episode and took a seat next to her daughter.

“Is something wrong?” Clarke asked. 

“No baby, nothing’s wrong,” Abby tried to assure her with a smile. “But I do have some exciting news.” 

“Are we getting a puppy?” 

“No, we are not getting a puppy,” Abby chuckled. 

“Oh.” 

“What else have you always wanted? Something you’ve always asked for?”

The 7 year old furrowed her brow, deep in thought. “A kitty?”

“Nope. Try again.”

“A new bike?”

“Not yet,” Abby said, suddenly feeling like this was the wrong approach. 

“I know!” Clarke exclaimed. 

“Really? What?”

“A baby brother!”

Abby couldn’t help but laugh at her daughter’s excitement. “Well, sort of. You are going to be a big sister, but I can’t guarantee you that you’ll get a brother.”

“You’re really having a baby?”

“Two babies,” Abby said holding up two fingers. “Mommy is having twins.”

“Two babies? Really?”

“Yep,” she smiled. “Are you excited?”

“I can’t wait!” Clarke smiled, but then suddenly looked confused. “But Daddy’s in heaven. How can you have two babies?”

Here we go, Abby thought to herself. The part of the conversation that she’d been dreading. “You’re right, sweetie, your Daddy is in heaven. These babies have a different Daddy.”

“Who?”

“Do you remember my friend, Marcus? The man who was here a few weeks ago?”

“Yeah, he liked my Sabres hoodie.”

“That’s right. He’s the Daddy of the babies in my belly.” 

Abby bit her lip and watched closely as Clarke digested the information. 

“I liked him. He was nice.” 

“Yes, he’s very nice.”

“Are you getting married?”

Jesus, she groaned internally. “No, Marcus and I are not getting married, but we are going to live in the same house.”

“Are we moving?” Clarke asked sadly. 

“Yes, baby, we are, but not for a while yet,” Abby said. “I know you’re sad, but I really think you’re going to love Marcus’ house. It’s a lot bigger than ours and there’s even a playset and a pool.”

“Really?” the girl asked excitedly as her momentary sadness melted away. 

“It’s really cool,” Abby smiled. “And you’ll have your own room and you can paint it any color you want.”

“Yay!” she cheered. “Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Can you put Paw Patrol back on now?”

“Umm, sure. Clarke, are you sure you’re ok? We can talk about this some more if you want? Do you have any questions?”

“Nope,” she shrugged. “But I still want a brother.” 

“I’ll see what I can do,” Abby smiled before kissing the top of Clarke’s head and leaving her to watch her show. 

From her seat at the kitchen table, Abby gazed lovingly at her little girl in the next room. That had gone better than expected, she thought to herself. Now she just hoped that Clarke would be just as excited when they actually moved and the babies arrived. Fingers crossed.


	8. 8

“Marcus!” Clarke yelled as she ran across the living room and jumped into his open arms before he even had a chance to close the front door. The little girl had officially become the President of the Marcus Kane Fan Club since the night he came over to have dinner with them. It took her less than 15 minutes to warm up to the new man in their lives and since then she’d been completely smitten. 

“Hey kiddo,” he smiled as he hugged her tight. “How are you?”

“Good. Mommy said we are going to find out if the babies are boys or girls today.”

“That’s right, we are. Are you excited?”

“Yes, I can’t wait!”

Marcus placed the little girl back on her feet just as Abby rounded the corner and met them in the entryway. 

“Hi Marcus.”

“Hi. Are you ready?” 

“Yes, I think we’re all set.” 

“Shall we, ladies?” Marcus asked gesturing to the door. 

Clarke immediately bolted out the front door, leaving Marcus and Abby smiling and shaking their heads at her excitement. 

**********

“Now Clarke, remember what we talked about,” Abby whispered in her daughter’s ear as they sat in the waiting room at Baby Bungalow. “When we go inside the room, you have to stay seated and be quiet. Understood?” 

“I know. I promise.” 

“Abby?” a handsome man in his early 30s asked from an open door on the opposite side of the room. 

“Yes,” Abby said taking Clarke’s hand and standing up. 

“I’m Eric Jackson,” he said extending his hand. “I’ll be conducting your gender reveal today.”

“Very nice to meet you,” she smiled. “This is Marcus and Clarke.” 

They followed Jackson through the door and down a short hallway before being led into a room at the end of the hall. It was dimly lit and cozy with a large bed in the middle of the room. On one side of the bed was the ultrasound machine, with a leather couch and a 75” flat screen TV on the other. 

“Abby, you can lay down. Marcus, Clarke, you can both have a seat on the couch,” Jackson instructed. “I just need to get set up and I’ll be with you in a moment.” 

While Abby made herself comfortable on the plush bed, Marcus took a seat on the end of the couch closest to her. She thought her heart would burst when she saw Clarke climb up into his lap and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. 

“Ok, I’m all set,” Jackson informed them. “I understand you’re expecting twins?”

“Yes, that’s right.” 

“I’m going to take a look first and get some measurements. Once I’ve finished, I’ll turn the screen on and you’ll get a 3D view of both babies. Just so you know, I may need to coax them into a position where I can get a good enough look to determine gender. Are you ready?”

“We’re ready,” Abby smiled. 

For the next several minutes, Jackson took his measurements of both babies. While they had just been to Abby’s OB less than 2 weeks ago, they both silently prayed that everything was ok. Finally, after 5 torturous minutes that felt more like an eternity, Jackson smiled at both parents. “Everything looks good,” he assured them turning on the monitor. 

“Whoa!” Clarke exclaimed at the sight of her younger siblings on the enormous flat screen. 

“Oh my God, it’s so detailed,” Abby said amazed. 

“It’s nothing like your last sonogram, that’s for sure. You can see everything,” added Marcus.

The sonogram was so detailed, they could easily see that both babies had hair, long eyelashes, and pouty lips. One of them kept his/her hands in front of their face like a boxer, while the other was sucking their thumb. 

“Now, I see that they’re sharing an amniotic sac, so they are identical,” Jackson pointed out. 

“Yes, my OB told us. That means either 2 boys or 2 girls right?”

“Yes, boy/girl twins are fraternal. Are you ready for the moment of truth?”

“Just tell us already!” Clarke whined, her patience wearing thin. 

Although they tried not too, all three adults laughed at the adorable and feisty 7 year old. 

“You heard the lady,” Marcus smiled. 

Jackson moved the transducer across Abby’s belly, doing his best to get a good look. After a little maneuvering, he was able to get a clear shot of both babies. “Congratulations! You have two healthy and very active little boys,” Jackson grinned.

“Yay!” Clarke clapped. “I get two brothers!”

“Two boys? Really?” Marcus asked smiling ear to ear. 

“Definitely two boys, I promise.” 

“I don’t believe it,” Abby chuckled, her eyes glistening. 

“Give me a few minutes to print out your photos and get your DVD ready,” Jackson said before leaving the room. 

Abby wiped the gel off her belly, pulled her shirt down, and sat up on the bed. “Well Clarke, you got your wish.” 

“I know! I can’t wait until they get here!” the girl said jumping up and down in front of them. 

“Are you ok with two boys?” Marcus asked. 

“Of course. I already have a girl, so I’m excited to see what it’s like to have a son…..or sons,” she smiled. “But, like you said, as long as they’re healthy, that’s all that matters,” she assured him. 

Before anything else could be said, Jackson returned with their sonogram photos and DVD. “Here you go and congratulations again.”

**********

A few hours later, after a visit to the local Buy Buy Baby and dinner at Pizza Plant, the trio pulled into Abby’s driveway. 

“I think we wore her out,” Abby said when she turned around and saw Clarke was fast asleep in the back seat. 

“It was an exciting day,” Marcus smiled. “I can carry her in.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, there’s no reason to wake her up.” 

Abby unlocked the front door while Marcus gently unbuckled Clarke and lifted her into his arms. Although still asleep, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pillowed her head on his shoulder. For the second time today, Abby thought her heart would melt at the sight of them. 

He followed Abby up the stairs to Clarke’s bedroom before depositing her on top of her bed. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.” 

“I’ll be right down.” 

While Marcus waited for Abby to tuck her daughter into bed, he glanced at a few of the photos on display in the hallway and living room. A great majority of them were of Clarke, whether baby photos, school yearbook pictures, or even one from t-ball. Another picture showed Abby and Clarke with an older couple, presumably her parents, while another showed Abby, toddler Clarke, and a man with blonde hair and blue eyes at the beach. Her husband, Marcus thought to himself.

“She’s passed out,” Abby said interrupting his thoughts as she came down the stairs. “That’s Jake,” she added when she noticed which photograph he had been looking at. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…..” he trailed off. 

“No, it’s ok. It was a long time ago.”

Marcus pursed his lips and nodded sadly, unsure of what to say next. 

“I know you said you didn’t care, but you must be ecstatic to hear we’re having two boys?” Abby asked as she walked over to the couch and sat down. 

“I won’t lie, I’m already envisioning lots of hockey, football, and lacrosse.”

“And I’ll let you drive them to their 5am ice times.”

“Deal,” he chuckled. “Since you’re almost 14 weeks, are you going to start telling people?”

“Yes, I definitely need to call my parents. That will be a fun conversation,” she said covering her face with her hands. 

“I know the feeling. I’m actually going to visit my mother next weekend for her birthday, so I’ll just tell her then.” 

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of Abby’s cell phone. “Hello?”

Abby put her hand over the phone and whispered to Marcus, “It’s the realtor. Excuse me.” 

While Abby took her call into the kitchen, Marcus leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. What a day, he thought to himself. Two boys. There was no doubt that he would have adored two little girls and he would have spoiled them rotten, but he was over the moon to learn they were having boys. A part of him couldn’t wait to get home and finally dig out the boxes of GI Joes, He-Man, Star Wars, and Hot Wheels that his mom had given him when she sold their family home and moved to Syracuse. 

“I have an offer,” Abby said as she walked back into the room. 

“Really? Already?” Marcus asked surprised. 

“Yes and it’s $10,000 above asking price, so I accepted.”

“That’s great!”

“You’re sure about this? There’s still time to change your mind, Marcus.” 

“Abby, I’m not going to change my mind. The sooner you and Clarke can move in, the better,” he reassured her. “Speaking of, I should get home. I want to try and at least clear out the bedrooms this weekend.”

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I’d offer to help, but I doubt you would let me.” 

“You’re right. I wouldn’t,” he smirked. 

**********

The next afternoon, Marcus and his two oldest friends, Thelonius Jaha and David Miller, were emptying the two bedrooms that Abby and Clarke would occupy and giving each of them a fresh coat of paint. 

“I really appreciate you both helping me out today,” Marcus said as the friends took a break and enjoyed some cold beer. 

“What are friends for,” said Miller. 

“So just to recap, your baby mama, who you’ve never gotten along with is moving in with her 7 year old daughter? And the two of you are going to play house, despite not being in a romantic relationship?” Jaha asked with a very amused look on his face. 

Marcus nodded. “That pretty much sums it up,” he said taking a sip of his beer. 

“I hope you know what you’re doing, dude, because you’re playing with fire,” added Jaha. 

“What does that mean?”

“We’re your best friends and you’ve complained about this Abby woman since she started teaching at your school. Do you remember how you always described her to us?”

“Know it all, stubborn, infuriating, defiant,” Miller answered for him. 

“Your point?” Marcus asked mildly annoyed. 

“You’ve never been able to get along with her and now you’re going to try and live together and raise two kids?”

“Three, actually,” he corrected them. “We’ve gotten closer since she told me about the babies. I might even go as far as to say we’re friends now and I adore Clarke.” 

“You know we’re just worried about you, right?” Miller asked. 

“I know and I appreciate it, but I know what I’m doing. I’m not delusional enough to think it will be perfect, but we want to give our boys and Clarke a family. That’s the most important thing. We’ll figure out the rest as we go.”

“What does Vera have to say about this little arrangement?”

Marcus actually groaned aloud. “I haven’t told her yet.”

Jaha and Miller both laughed. 

“I’m going to Syracuse next weekend. I’ll tell her then.” 

“Can we come watch?” Jaha asked. 

“Shut up,” Marcus said rolling his eyes.


	9. 9

“I’ll be honest, I thought you and Clarke would be with Kane today,” Diana admitted as she and Abby made their way through the Galleria Mall. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately.” 

“I guess we have, but I want Clarke to get to know him before we move into his home. It’s important that she likes him and she’s comfortable with him.” 

“And is she?”

“Are you kidding? He’s all she ever talks about anymore,” Abby chuckled. “She adores him and the feeling seems to be mutual, so I couldn’t be happier.” 

“So where is Mr. Perfect today?” Diana smirked as she and Abby entered Old Navy. 

“He left after school yesterday to visit his mother in Syracuse. He’ll be back Sunday night,” Abby said as she browsed the maternity section. “He also wants to tell her about the babies.” 

“Hopefully it goes better than it did with your parents.”

Abby grimaced at the mention of her parents. “God, I hope so.” 

Abby wasn’t surprised by her parents’ reaction. Although she loved them dearly and they’d always been close, they were Catholic and very old fashioned in certain ways. To hear that their widowed daughter was pregnant with twins had not exactly gone over well. It only made it worse when she told them the father was the Principal of her school and that she and Clarke would be moving into his home with no plans of marrying. Of course, they’d tried desperately to convince her to move back to Boise, but Abby was adamant that she was doing what was best for all of them. 

**********

While Abby was at the mall with Diana, Marcus was at his sister’s suburban Syracuse home celebrating his mother’s 65th birthday. 

“When are you planning to tell Mom your big news, you chicken?” Aurora whispered as she and Marcus refilled their drinks in the kitchen. 

“Tonight, once the kids go to bed,” he said rather unconvincingly. 

“Jesus Marcus! Man up and tell her!” 

“Tell me what?” 

Marcus and Aurora both turned to see their mother, Vera, standing in the doorway, her arms folded tightly across her chest. 

“Umm, I’m going to see what Bellamy and Octavia are up to,” Aurora announced. “Good luck,” she whispered to Marcus before making a quick exit. 

“Marcus, what’s going on?” 

Marcus suddenly felt like he was 8 years old again and he was afraid to tell his parents that he’d hit a baseball through one of their car windows. “Mom, why don’t you come sit down,” he said as he pulled out one of the kitchen chairs for her. 

“You’re scaring me, so whatever it is, just tell me,” Vera pleaded as she and Marcus took their seats next to one another. 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad, I promise.”

“Really? Then why don’t you want to tell me?”

“Mom, do you remember what I told you when I drove you home after Christmas? About Abby?”

“Of course I do. Has something happened with the two of you?” she asked hopefully. 

“You could say that,” he smiled. “But not in the way you think.”

“Oh?”

“Mom, Abby’s pregnant. We’re having twins.”

“What? Honey, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you. I know how long you’ve wanted to be a father,” Vera said beaming, her eyes glistening. “Why didn’t you bring Abby with you this weekend?”

“Uh, well, Abby and I aren’t in a relationship, Mom,” he said quietly. “We’ve definitely come a long way, but we’re not together.”

“I don’t understand? She’s having your babies.”

“Yes,” Marcus nodded. “And we are both committed to raising our children together and making a home for them under the same roof, but we’re just co-parents and friends.”

“Is that really what you want?”

“Mom,” Marcus sighed.

“Marcus, you and I both know you have feelings for Abby, so what’s the problem? You love her, she’s carrying your children, you’re going to be living together, but you’re not a couple?”

“I don’t want to push her, Mom. We only shared that one night and the last thing I want is to scare her off,” he said running a hand through his hair. “I know it’s unconventional and it probably doesn’t make any sense to you, but we’re confident that this is going to work for us and for our family.”

“Ok, but what happens when she meets someone? Or you do? What then?”

“Mom, the last thing on either of our minds is meeting someone,” he laughed. “We’re about to have newborn twins and a 7 year old.” 

“Now, but what about 5 years from now? 10 years from now?”

“I can’t worry about that now. We’ll just deal with things as they come.”

Vera eyed her son intently. As a mother, she was concerned for her child. While she hoped Marcus was right and this arrangement would work out, she didn’t want to see him get hurt. “You know I’m just worried about you, right?”

“I know,” he smiled as he lovingly placed his hand on top of hers. “But I need you to trust me on this. I know what I’m doing.” 

“Ok,” she said. “But you better make sure there’s still a room for me to stay in because I plan on spending a lot of time with my new grandbabies.” 

“Deal.”

**********

“Come in,” Marcus yelled. 

“Welcome back,” Abby said poking her head inside his office door. 

“Thank you,” Marcus smiled as he came around his desk to stand in front of her. 

“I just wanted to see how everything went in Syracuse?”

“It was a nice visit. My mom enjoyed her birthday and she’s thrilled to have two new grandsons on the way.” 

“I sense a but.”

“But,” Marcus sighed. “She’s a mom and she’s concerned about our living arrangement.”

“Are you having second thoughts?”

“Of course not. Abby, I already told you, I’m not changing my mind. We’re doing what’s best for us and for our family and my mom understands that.”

“Well, it sounds like she took it better than my parents.”

“They’re upset?” he asked concerned. 

“You could say that. My mom is still texting me to move home.”

“You’re not considering it, are you?” he asked suddenly alarmed. 

“No, of course not. Like you told your mother, we’re doing what we think is best and what works for us. That’s all that matters.” 

“Ok,” he nodded. “Oh, I wanted to ask if you and Clarke are free tomorrow night?”

“On a Tuesday? Of course we are. What did you have in mind?”

“I thought it would be good for Clarke to see where she’ll be living, especially now that her bedroom is painted in the color she chose.”

“Dusty Violet?”

“That’s the one,” he laughed. “How did you know?”

“That’s the color she wanted to paint the living room last summer.”

Marcus frowned picturing that particular color in a living room. “Let’s hope her bedroom appeases her.” 

“Fingers crossed.” 

“Does 5 o’clock work?”

“We’ll be there,” she smiled. 

**********

“Whoa! Is this where we are going to live?” Clarke asked as she and Abby pulled into Marcus’ driveway. 

“Yes, this is Marcus’ house.” 

While Clarke took off in a sprint for the front door, Abby followed behind noticing the numerous children playing in the neighborhood. One group was playing basketball at the end of the cul-de-sac, while others were riding their bikes up and down the street. At least Clarke won’t have a shortage of playmates, Abby thought to herself. 

“Hey!” Marcus exclaimed when he opened the door and Clarke leaped into his arms. 

“I like your house,” Clarke said as Marcus carried her through the front door. 

“I’m glad because it’s going to be your house too.” 

“Can I see my room?”

“Clarke,” Abby warned.

“It’s ok,” Marcus chuckled. “Yes, you can, but first there’s something else I think you might like.” 

“What?”

“Come with me,” he said as he took her hand and led her toward the back patio. “What do you think?”

“A playset?” Clarke yelled. “Can I go play?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Abby smiled. 

“Don’t worry, the yard is completely fenced. She’ll be fine,” Marcus assured Abby when Clarke took off out the patio door. 

“I know. What smells so good?”

“Ah, that would be my homemade spaghetti and meatballs,” Marcus said with a smug look on his face as he headed back to the kitchen. 

“Homemade? So, you didn’t just buy a jar of Prego or Newman’s and call it a day?”

“Absolutely not!” he said horrified. “I make my own sauce and meatballs from scratch. It’s my mother’s recipe and I guarantee it will be the best you’ve ever had.” 

“Hmm,” she said crossing her arms. “I’m pretty sure everyone in Buffalo says Chef’s is the best they’ve ever had.”

“That’s because they’ve never had mine,” he said confidently. “You’ll see.” 

**********

When they were finally able to pry Clarke off the backyard playset, Marcus gave both ladies a complete tour of their soon-to-be home before they all sat down to enjoy his homemade spaghetti and meatballs. 

“Well?” Marcus asked already knowing the answer. 

“You were right, it’s better than Chef’s,” Abby said finishing her second helping. 

Marcus sat back in his seat and proudly crossed his arms over his chest, his best smirk plastered across his face. “What about you, Clarke?”

“It’s way better than Mom’s.”

“Thanks a lot!” Abby said slightly offended. “But, she’s right,” she shrugged. 

**********

After dinner, Clarke was watching Moana on Netflix while Marcus and Abby loaded the dishwasher and tidied the kitchen. 

“Have you thought of any names?” Abby asked out of the blue while wiping down the kitchen table. 

“Umm, maybe a few, but I haven’t really put much thought into it,” he shrugged. 

“Well, we need to start thinking about. Somehow, two people that have never been able to agree on much have to name two human beings.”

“Good point.”

“I have an idea. Do you have paper and pens?”

“Umm, sure,” Marcus said walking over to his junk drawer and pulling out two sheets of paper and two pens. “Here you go.”

“We have to start somewhere, right? So, we are each going to write down our top 10 names. That will give us 20 names to try and widdle down to 2,” she instructed handing him one of the sheets of paper and one of the pens. 

They sat next to each other at the kitchen island, each deep in thought, while they compiled their separate lists. Marcus finished before Abby was even halfway through her list.

“Haven’t given it much thought, huh?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. 

He gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged. “Would you like some tea?”

“I’d love some.”

While Abby finished, Marcus checked on Clarke and made them each a cup of tea. 

“I’m all set,” she finally said. “Here, we’ll exchange our lists.”

Reclaiming his seat at the island, they looked over the other’s names: 

Abby: Declan, Wyatt, Lucas, Zander, Dylan, Cody, Teddy, Brady, Zachary, Ian

Marcus: Max, Eli, Brody, Mason, Evan, Sam, Daniel, Jack, Michael, Ryan 

“Not a single match,” Marcus groaned. 

“Good thing we have 5 ½ months to figure this out,” Abby said patting him on the shoulder.


	10. 10

Before they knew it, the calendar flipped to May and Abby was 22 weeks. Overall, the pregnancy was going well, but she was always exhausted. It didn’t help that she was also in the process of closing on the sale of her home and preparing for the big move. Luckily, Marcus had once again recruited Jaha and Miller and the three men had transported a large majority of her belongings over the last several weeks. The only items left to move were items that she and Clarke used regularly and the larger furniture they decided to keep, which Abby insisted on hiring movers for, despite Marcus’ protests. 

“Marcus, I can carry a few boxes!” she said annoyed at the fact that Marcus was not letting her help carry anything out to their cars. 

“Clarke and I can handle it. Can’t we kiddo?” he asked the little girl.

“Yep!” Clarke answered carrying a box out the front door. 

“This is ridiculous. There’s no reason I can’t help you,” she glared and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“Yes, there is! You’re 22 weeks pregnant!” he glared back. “Just sit down and supervise.”

“Jackass,” she muttered under her breath. 

“What was that?” Marcus asked raising a brow. 

“I said fine!” she said rather sarcastically with a fake smile plastered on her face. 

Marcus rolled his eyes before getting back to work. 

“Hello, anybody home?” called Diana from the front door.

“In here.”

Following Abby’s voice, Diana made her way to the living room where she found her friend pouting on the couch. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Men!”

“She’s pissed because I won’t let her move boxes,” Marcus added as he came into the room with his arms full. 

“Abby! He’s right. You shouldn’t be lifting anything.” 

“Traitor,” Abby muttered. 

“Can you get her out of here, please? Clarke and I have work to do.”

“You heard the man,” Diana said grabbing Abby’s hand and pulling her off the couch. “Let’s go, Mama.” 

**********

“When are the movers coming?” Diana asked once she and Abby were seated in a booth at Spot Coffee. 

“Tomorrow morning, so tonight will be our last night in the house,” Abby said taking a sip of her drink. 

“You know Kane is just worried about you, right? He just doesn’t want anything to happen to you or the babies.” 

“I know,” she sighed. “But I hate feeling useless.”

“No, you hate him telling you what to do,” Diana laughed. 

Abby shrugged knowing she was right. Despite how close they’d gotten over the last few months, they still got under each other’s skin from time to time. “Maybe a little.” 

“Are you getting cold feet about moving in with Kane?”

“No, nothing like that. I think it’s just nerves.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted,” she chuckled. “I already feel like I’m as big as a house.” 

“Please! You look fabulous.”

“Thank you.” 

“So, any luck deciding on names?”

“No! You know us, we’re both so stubborn, we’ll be lucky to agree on names by the time they leave for college.” 

Both women laughed knowing it wasn’t an exaggeration. 

**********

“The oak bedroom set goes into the master on the left side. The white set goes into the room with the purple walls,” Abby instructed the movers once the arrived with the remainder of her things. “There are post-it notes in each room so you’ll know where to place everything.” 

“Yes Mam. What about the couch, loveseat, and end tables?”

“Down to the basement.”

Wanting to stay out of the men’s way, Abby joined Marcus and Clarke in the backyard. Luckily for them, it was a sunny WNY day with temperatures in the low 70s. 

“Everyone ok?” Marcus asked as she sat down next to him on the patio. 

“I hope so. They know where everything goes, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted,” she said leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.

“When they leave you should go upstairs and lay down. Clarke and I will go pick up a pizza for dinner.” 

“I’ll be fine.”

“Abby, you need to rest. Contrary to what you may believe, you’re not Superwoman.” 

“Haha,” she said dryly. “Fine, you win, but just a short nap.”

**********

Later that night, Clarke was coloring on the living room floor while Marcus and Abby relaxed on the couch and oversized chair. 

“I can’t believe we’re done,” Abby said as she draped a blanket across her lap and sipped her tea. 

“I know,” Marcus yawned. “Thank God we started bringing things over a little at a time.”

“Mmm hmm.”

As they sat watching the latest episode of Chicago Med on the DVR, Abby was pleasantly surprised how comfortable she felt in Marcus’ house. At first, she worried that it wouldn’t feel like home and she wouldn’t be able to relax. Thankfully, that was not the case. It didn’t feel awkward at all, probably because of all the time they’d spent together since she learned she was pregnant. This could actually work, she thought to herself. 

“Clarke, it’s time for bed,” Abby announced. 

“But I’m not tired,” she whined. 

“You’ve had a long day and it’s late. C’mon, go brush your teeth and I’ll be in to read you a story.”

“Can Marcus read me a story tonight?”

The adults looked at one another surprised and hesitant. Abby was unsure if it was something Marcus was even willing to do, while Marcus didn’t want to step on Abby’s toes. 

“Umm, if he wants to….”

“Of course. I’d love to ready you a story, Clarke.” 

“Yay!” the young girl smiled. 

“Alright, go brush your teeth and pick out a story. We will be up in a few minutes.”

“Are you sure you’re ok with me reading her a story?” Marcus asked after Clarke disappeared up the staircase.

“Yes, I was just surprised.” she assured him. “I’m glad the two of you have hit it off so well.”

“Me too,” he smiled. 

After making sure Clarke did indeed brush her teeth and getting her into her pajamas, Abby tucked her in for her first night in her new room. 

“What story did you pick?”

“Rainbow Fish.”

“Really? You’ve read that a million times.”

“I wanted to go easy on him for his first time,” Clarke said seriously. 

“Good idea,” Abby chuckled. “Night baby.” 

Heading back downstairs, Abby found Marcus loading the dishwasher. “You’re up,” she said as he turned to look at her. 

He smiled and then made his way upstairs while Abby finished tidying the kitchen. When she was done, her curiosity got the best of her and she crept upstairs to see how things were going. Standing in the hallway outside of Clarke’s room, she peered around the corner and into the open doorway. Clarke was cuddled into Marcus’ side with her head on his shoulder as he read her the story she’d picked. Her eyes were heavy with sleep as his soothing voice lulled the girl to sleep and Abby thought her heart might burst. 

Clarke was only 2 when Jake was killed so she’d never really been able to experience what is was like to have a father in her life. It always broke Abby’s heart when she would catch her watching another little girl with her dad at the park or when the daycare or school would hold father/daughter events. Jake would always be Clarke’s father, but Abby was already grateful for the bond that was forming between her little girl and Marcus. 

When she heard the story come to an end, she quietly tiptoed back down to the living room and returned to her seat on the oversized chair. 

“How’d it go?”

“Good,” Marcus smiled as he sat down on the couch. “She was sound asleep by the time I finished.”

“Thank you for doing that,” Abby said sincerely. 

“I don’t mind, Abby. I’m happy to read her a story whenever she’ll have me.”

They shared a warm smile and held each other’s eyes longer than usual before they both looked away. 

“It’s been a long day. I think I’m going to head up to bed,” Abby said. 

“Good idea. Night Abby.”

“Night.”

Falling back onto the couch, Marcus let out a sigh as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair. While he was happy to finally have Abby and Clarke moved in, he was realizing that having Abby so close 24/7 was going to be more difficult than he ever anticipated. They’d agreed to raise their boys together, to co-parent, and to be friends, but how the hell was he going to do that? He wanted her before she told him she was carrying his children but now, after all the time they’d spent together over the last few months, he was in love with her. Hopelessly, head over heels in love with her.


	11. 11

Marcus and Abby had been cohabitating for 3 weeks now and they’d easily fallen into a comfortable routine. Every morning, they had breakfast with Clarke before driving to Oakbrook Elementary in separate cars. Since Marcus was an Administrator, he often worked longer hours than Abby, so it didn’t make sense for them to ride together. At the end of the school day, Abby and Clarke would head home, get a jumpstart on her homework, and either start dinner or wait for Marcus to bring home takeout. On the weekends, they either spent their time with Clarke or preparing for the twins by shopping or working on the nursery. They were the picture of domesticity. 

“Abby, we have to start at least narrowing this list down,” Marcus groaned as they sat on the back patio early Saturday evening. “We came up with these 20 names over two months ago.”

“I know,” she sighed staring at their combined list. 

“How about we each eliminate 3 names?”

“Any 3 we want?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “We each eliminate 3 and at least we’ll be down to 14.”

“Ok,” she shrugged. “It’s a start I guess.” 

Taking the list, Abby immediately crossed off 3 names without hesitation: Michael, Evan, Eli. 

“Wow, that was quick,” Marcus frowned. “My turn.”

Like Abby, he knew which 3 names were definitely out: Cody, Brady, Ian. 

“What’s wrong with Brady? That’s one of my favorites!”

“All I think about is Tom Brady and there is no way my son is going to be named after a New England Patriot.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Abby said rolling her eyes.

“Still, we agreed,” he smirked. “Brady is out.”

“Ugh.”

Marcus laughed, enjoying the fact that he was annoying her. “Come on, let’s go,” he said as he got up from his seat and started to head toward the patio door. 

“Go? Go where?” 

“I’m taking you out to dinner. Let’s go.”

“Excuse me?” Abby asked arching a brow. 

“Clarke is at a sleepover tonight and in a few months we will have two newborns in the house. It could be years before we’re able to go out to eat again, especially without children.”

“Good point,” she agreed as she quickly followed him back inside. “But I need to change.”

“Me too.” 

“Meet you down here in 15 minutes?”

“Deal.” 

Both Abby and Marcus disappeared into their own bedrooms to change and freshen up. Abby bit her lower lip as she scanned her closet for something halfway decent that fit her. At 25 weeks, with twins no less, Abby had definitely “popped” long ago. Thankfully, the weather was warm enough now to allow her to wear a navy blue maternity dress with white polka dots that sat just above the knee. Slipping on a pair of brown leather flip flops, she touched up her make-up and ran a brush through her hair. 

On the other side of the house, Marcus threw on a pair of a khaki shorts, a light blue oxford shirt, and his navy blue boat shoes. Giving himself a once over in the mirror, he left the top button of his shirt open and rolled up his sleeves before dabbing on some cologne. 

They both exited their rooms at the same time, meeting at the top of the staircase. “Ready?” Marcus asked, his heart racing at the sight of her. 

“That depends. Where are we going?” she smiled as she started down the stairs. 

“What are you in the mood for? Greek, Italian, Mexican, Seafood?”

“Hmm, seafood sounds great.”

“I know just the place,” Marcus chuckled.

**********

Less than 20 minutes later, the duo was seated on the rooftop patio at Lucia’s on the Lake. 

“I’ve always wanted to try this place,” Abby admitted as she browsed her menu. 

“You’ve lived here for 5 years and you’ve never been to Lucia’s?”

“No.”

“The food is fantastic and you can’t beat the location or the view,” Marcus said gesturing to the calm blue lake and bright sunshine. 

“What are you getting?”

“Definitely the seared scallops. You?”

“The salmon sounds delicious.”

“Good choice,” he smiled. 

While they waited for their food, they enjoyed the view and spent far too much time discussing work and Clarke. 

“Marcus?” a female voice interrupted. 

Both Marcus and Abby looked up to a see a beautiful dark-haired woman approaching their table. 

“Callie?” Marcus said somewhat stunned as he rose from his seat. “What are you doing here? I thought you were out west?”

“San Jose, yes. I’m just in town visiting a few old friends for the weekend,” the woman said as she and Marcus shared a tentative, if not somewhat awkward embrace. 

Abby remained in her seat not wanting to interrupt. 

“Umm, I’m sorry, Callie this is Abby. Abby this is Callie, my ex-wife,” Marcus said as one hand rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Callie,” Abby smiled extending her hand. 

“You too,” she smiled before her eyes grew wide at the sight of Abby’s obviously pregnant belly. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thank you,” they both answered simultaneously. 

Uncomfortable, Marcus stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts and looked down at this shoes. 

“When are you due, Abby?”

“September 6th.”

“Do you know what you’re having?” Callie asked sincerely interested. 

“Two boys,” Marcus answered. “Twins.”

“Oh my God. That’s so great.” 

“Callie! Come on girl!” a woman with red curly hair called. “We’re heading down to Rodney’s.”

“Be right there,” Callie answered before turning back to Abby and Marcus. “I have to run, but it was so great to see you, Marcus. I’m so happy for you.” 

“Thanks, Callie,” he smiled. 

“And it was so nice to meet you, Abby. Hold on to this guy. He’s a keeper.”

Clearly, Callie assumed she and Marcus were a couple, but it wasn’t the time or place to open that can of worms. Instead, Abby nodded and smiled before Callie headed off to catch up with her friends.

Marcus let out a sigh as he sat back down. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Marcus. It’s only natural for people to assume that we’re a couple, I mean, look at me,” she said gesturing to her belly. 

“True,” he chuckled. 

“She seemed very nice.”

“She is.”

Before anything more could be said, their meals arrived, and they immediately dug in. “How is it?” 

“Amazing,” Abby said enjoying every bite. 

“Told you.” 

“So, Clarke has been asking me when she gets to meet Bellamy and Octavia,” she said between bites. 

“Really?”

“Well, you’ve told her so much about them.”

“I guess I have,” he smiled. “To be honest, my mother and sister have been asking to meet you and Clarke. Would you be ok with me inviting them out for the weekend?”

“Of course. I’d love to meet them.”

“Great. I’ll give them a call tomorrow and see which weekend works best.

After paying the bill, Marcus helped Abby into the passenger seat of his Jeep Wrangler. “Do you have any room left for ice cream?”

“You’re asking a pregnant woman if she has room for ice cream?” she laughed. “Absolutely!”

“Let me guess,” he started as he backed out of the parking space. “Vanilla?”

**********

“Good?” Marcus chuckled as he watched Abby devour her banana split at The Creamery. 

“Don’t judge me, I’m eating for 3!” 

“I’m sorry. You’re right.” 

“How’d you know about this place? What is it, 30 minutes from your house?”

“This is my hometown and I actually worked here for a few summers in high school,” he said eating his chocolate-vanilla twist. 

“Really?”

“Yep. My parents had a house right in the village.”

“Your father passed?”

“Yes, when I was in college. My mom stayed in the house for a few years, but then my sister convinced her to move in with her and the kids. I’m glad she did. I didn’t like her being alone.” 

“Is your sister married?”

“Divorced. Her ex is an airline pilot and he fell for one of the flight attendants. Apparently, it had been going on for a couple years before Aurora found out.”

“That’s awful,” Abby said disgusted. 

“It was, but I think she’s definitely better off.”

“Does he see Bellamy and Octavia often?”

“No,” Marcus said sadly. “After the divorce, he decided to move into his girlfriend’s apartment in Chicago. He sends them birthday cards and christmas presents, but they’re lucky if he sees them once a year.”

“Well, they’re very lucky to have such a wonderful uncle.”

Marcus couldn’t stop himself from blushing. “Thanks.” 

“Come on,” Abby said getting up from the bench and tossing out her garbage.

“Where are we going?”

“I need to walk off that banana split.”

They walked side by side down the path leading to the marina and the beach. It was nearly sunset, the water was calm, and temperatures were still in the upper 60s. 

“This was a great idea,” Abby smiled. “Thank you.” 

“You’re very welcome. I had a great time.” 

They continued their walk, both listening to the sounds of the water and enjoying the fresh air. When they made it to the end of the dock, they took a seat on one of the benches and looked out over the water.

“Marcus..”

“Abby…”

They both laughed. “You go,” Marcus offered. 

Abby took a deep breath, like she had to prepare for what she was about to say. “There’s something I need you to know.”

“Ok.” 

“That morning, after the Christmas party, I didn’t leave because I wanted to forget or pretend it never happened.” 

“Then why did you?” Marcus asked furrowing his brow. 

“I was scared of how you would react when you woke up,” she confessed. “We work together. You’re my boss! I pictured you being mortified and I couldn’t face it, so I ran.” 

Marcus was stunned. She left because she thought he would reject her? “Abby, how could you think that? I know we had a lot to drink that night, but I thought we had a great time, before and after the party.”

“We did.” 

“For the record, the only thing I would have been when I woke up is happy,” he told her. “I like you, Abby, and I have for longer than I care to admit.”

“I thought I irritated you?” she chuckled. 

“Oh, you did,” he smirked. 

They exchanged shy smiles before they both started to slowly lean in. Tentatively, their lips met, soft and slow. When they came up for air, Marcus reached up to gently caress her cheek as he rested his forehead against hers. 

“Let’s go home,” he whispered.


	12. 12

“Abby…..Are you sure?” Marcus asked breathlessly. 

“I want you, Marcus,” she said running her hands across his chest. Despite the cotton fabric, her touch still sends shivers down his spine. “I’ve never been more sure about anything.” 

"What about the babies?” 

“They’ll be fine. Pregnant women are allowed to have sex, Marcus,” she chuckled. “We just may have to be a little creative with positioning, that’s all. 

Satisfied, Marcus captured her lips again as he slowly backed her up towards her queen-sized bed. They broke apart only when the backs of Abby’s legs bumped into the mattress. Crawling on top of the bed, Abby took Marcus’ hand and pulled him down. Not wanting to squish the twins, Marcus propped himself up on his elbow next to Abby her. Slowly, his lips moved from her mouth, to her jaw, and down her neck. 

“Clothes…off…now,” Abby said in a lust-filled voice. 

Not needing to be told twice, Marcus sprang from the bed and immediately discarded his shirt and shorts as Abby sat up and pulled her dress over her head. Marcus’ felt himself grow even harder when he noticed she hadn’t been wearing a bra. 

“Come here.” 

Wearing only his black boxer briefs, Marcus climbed back onto the bed and kissed her hard before he dragged his mouth from her jaw, to her neck, to her breasts. Taking one of them into his mouth, his tongue went to work as Abby’s hands fell to his head and her fingers tangled in his thick dark hair. 

“Marcus,” she said breathlessly. “Inside me. Please.” She’s pregnant and horny and they can take it slow another time. 

Fuck. Letting out a groan, Marcus shimmied out of his boxer briefs before reaching down and pulling her panties down her toned legs. As soon as she was free from the fabric, she immediately rolled over so her back was to him. 

Molding his body to hers from behind, he kissed her shoulder before she turned her head to capture his lips with her own. Abby can feel how hard and heavy he is against her rear. 

Breaking the kiss, he looks down into her brown eyes. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. Please Marcus,” Abby whispers. 

Kissing her again, he reached between them and ran the tip of his cock through her wet folds. “Oh,” Abby moaned. 

He pushes inside slowly, wanting to give her time to adjust to his size, but Abby is impatient. Without warning, she pushes back against his length until he bottoms out inside her. 

“Fuck,” he chokes out. 

“Move.”

Marcus began to thrust in and out, gradually picking up more speed. With each thrust, Abby’s head fell back against his chest, eyes shut, biting her lower lip. 

Reaching behind her, she grabbed the back of his head, “Yes.”

“I’m so close, Abby.”

“Mmm, me too.”

Marcus drives in harder and he feels her clench around him. “Yes, Marcus!”

The sound of Abby screaming his name is all it takes for Marcus to explode inside her. Slowly moving his hips in and out, he drags out their orgasms until there is nothing left. 

Once he could move, Marcus slipped out of her and rolled over onto his back taking Abby with him. She willingly snuggled into his side, her head tucked into the crook of his neck. 

“That was amazing,” she said breaking the silence. 

“It was,” Marcus chuckled and then kissed her forehead. 

“Will you stay with me tonight?”

Marcus wrapped his arms around her tighter and gently caressed her swollen belly. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.”

**********

The morning sunlight filtered through the windows in Abby’s bedroom. She began to stir, feeling the strong body pressed against her back and the arm around her waist. Content, she sighed and smiled as she took his arm and pulled him closer. 

“Good morning,” he cooed in her ear and then placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. 

“Morning,” she responded. 

“How did you sleep?”

“Better than I have in years,” she answered truthfully. 

“I’m glad.”

She turned in his arms so they were lying face to face. “Hi,” she said as he caressed his cheek. 

“Hi,” he smiled. “Any regrets?”

“Nope.” 

“That’s good,” he said before capturing her lips with his own. 

**********

After making love two more times, they eventually pride themselves apart and made their way to the shower before dressing and heading downstairs. 

“French toast or pancakes?” Abby asked as she rummaged through the refrigerator. 

“Definitely french toast.” 

“Good call.” 

“What time do we need to pick up Clarke?” Marcus asked pouring himself a cup of coffee. 

“I told Raven’s mom I’d be there at noon.”

“Plenty of time,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind as she stood at the stove. 

Tilting her head, she granted him access and he kissed her neck. “Mmm. As much as I hate to say this, you need to stop.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to burn breakfast and I’m starving.” 

“Well, we did work up quite an appetite,” he smirked. 

“Go,” she said playfully pushing him away. 

**********

“You guys are acting funny,” Clarke announced as they browsed their local Carter’s store for baby clothes. 

“No we’re not,” both adults said at the same time. 

“You keep smiling at each other and you’re holding hands.”

Realizing the 7 year old was right, they both turned a shade of red and giggled, but they didn’t let go.

“Are you ok if I hold your mom’s hand, Clarke?” 

“Sure,” she shrugged before heading over to the girls section to look for herself. 

“She approves,” Marcus said proudly. 

“Did you think she wouldn’t?” Abby chuckled. “You two are BFFs.” 

“True.” 

They finally let go of one another to cover more ground, both grabbing various items for the twins. “How about these?” Marcus asked holding up a 5-pack of sports onesies. 

“Those are cute,” Abby nodded in approval. “What else do you have there?”

“A couple shirts,” he shrugged. 

“Let me see.” 

Marcus held up 6 different shirts, all either with a sports or a dad theme. “What?” he asked when when Abby shook her head and laughed as she continued to look around. 

**********

“I’m so happy to finally meet you, Abby,” Vera beamed as she, Aurora, and Abby all enjoyed some lemonade on the back patio a few weeks later. 

“Thank you. Marcus has told me so much about all of you, I was excited to meet you myself.” 

“How are you feeling, Abby?” Aurora asked. 

“Big!” Abby laughed. At 27 weeks, she was quite pregnant and already bordering on uncomfortable. “But, overall, I’m doing ok.”

“Marcus better be taking good care of you,” Vera said seriously. 

“He is. He’s wonderful.”

“Yes, I am,” Marcus agreed flashing his best lopsided smirk as he brought the ladies a veggie platter and dip. 

“Careful, Abby, his head is already big enough,” Aurora teased. 

“Uncle Marcus, let’s go!” 10 year old Bellamy yelled from the pool where he, Clarke, and Octavia were waiting for him. 

“I’m coming!” 

“Have fun, dear,” Vera smiled as she watched him take off toward the children. “He’s going to be a wonderful father, Abby.” 

“I don’t doubt that. He’s wonderful with Clarke and Bellamy and Octavia clearly adore him.” 

“So, have you and Marcus discussed marriage?”

“Aurora!” Vera scolded giving her a stern look. 

“It’s ok. Really,” Abby assured the older woman. “No, we haven’t talked about marriage. Our relationship is still so new and with the twins, we just want to take things one day at a time for right now.” 

“Makes perfect sense, dear.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep,” Aurora apologized.

“You didn’t. It’s a legitimate question. No worries.”

“Marcus mentioned you might be taking next school year off?” Vera asked wanting to change the subject. 

“Yes, but I’m still undecided. I’d hate to be out for an entire year, but it might be best, especially with two babies.”

“Have you had any luck deciding on names? Marcus mentioned you started with a list of 20?” Aurora asked. 

“Ha!” Abby laughed. “Yes, we did. We’re down to 8 now which, for us, is a miracle, but we haven’t been able whittle it down any further.” 

“May I ask what the 8 are?” Vera asked tentatively. 

“Wyatt, Declan, Lucas, Zander, Max, Ryan, Jack, and Samuel.”

“I actually really like all of those,” Aurora admitted. 

“Me too.”

“Thank you,” Abby smiled. “But at the rate we’re going, we’ll probably end up picking their names out of a hat at the hospital.” 

They all laughed knowing Abby was only half kidding. 

**********

Later that evening, after dark, everyone was seated around the firepit. “Can we make smores?” Bellamy asked. 

“Sure. I’m sure I have everything inside,” Marcus said as he started to head back into the house to collect all the ingredients. 

“I’ll come with you,” Aurora called after him. “I need a refill anyway.” 

Abby and Vera stayed with the kids while the other two adults disappeared into the house. 

“I really like her,” Aurora smiled as she poured herself another glass of iced tea. 

“I’m glad,” Marcus said placing the marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, and wooden skewers on a tray. 

Although Aurora truly liked Abby and she was happy for her brother, she was still a concerned sister and a lawyer. “Marcus, even though you are a couple now and your living under the same roof, you’re not married. You need to make sure you protect yourself once those babies are born.” 

“What does that mean?” he asked furrowing his brow. 

“All I’m saying is make sure you get your name on their birth certificates,” Aurora warned. “If things don’t work out between the two of you and she decides to move back to Idaho, at least you’ll have rights.”

“That will never happen,” he assured her. “And of course my name will be on their birth certificates.” 

“I’m not trying to upset you…”

“Then drop it.” 

“Look, little brother, you’re the one that called me asking about your paternal rights, remember? You were the one that wanted to make sure she couldn’t take those kids away.”

Hearing a noise, both Marcus and Aurora turned toward the patio door to see Abby standing there wide-eyed. 

“Abby…” Marcus said horrified closing the distance between them. 

She immediately moved away from him, “Don’t touch me,” and headed for the stairs. 

Stunned, Marcus and Aurora watched her disappear up to the second floor. “Fuck!” Marcus yelled running a hand through his hair.


	13. 13

Slamming and locking the bedroom door behind her, Abby collapsed in a heap of tears on top of the bed. How could she have been so stupid? Marcus had been playing her for a fool the entire time, pretending to care for her, when all he wanted was the babies. After their tumultuous first 4 years, she should have known better. Here she was falling in love with Marcus and envisioning a future for them as a family, and he was just using her. A million different scenarios played through her mind of what he had in mind, from marrying her just to keep the boys under his roof, to kicking her out once they were born, to suing for custody. 

“Abby?” Marcus called through the door, pulling her from her thoughts. “Abby, please, let me explain.”

“Go away, Marcus. I have nothing to say to you.”

“I swear to you, it’s not how it sounded,” he said desperately. “Please, just talk to me.” 

She let out a bitter laugh as she crossed to the door and flung it open, revealing a distraught Marcus with his hands on either side of the frame. “What exactly was your plan, Marcus?” she asked with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. “Pretend to care for me and my daughter just to keep me from moving back to Boise? Were you going to sue me for custody once the twins were born?”

Marcus couldn’t believe his ears. How could she possibly think he would do such a thing? “What? Of course not, Abby. I would never do that.”

“The only reason you wanted me and Clarke to live with you was to keep me in town!” she yelled as she stepped further into the room. 

Marcus quickly joined her, shutting the door behind him so the rest of the house wouldn’t hear them. “No! While I admit I didn’t want you to leave, I asked you to move in so we can raise our boys together. I swear, I had no ulterior motives. Yes, I called Aurora to inquire about my rights, but that was the night you told me that you were pregnant and you were thinking of moving back home. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do.” 

“I don’t believe you,” she said coldly as she glared at him. 

“Really? After the last few weeks we’ve shared, you really believe I was faking it? That everything was a lie?” Now he was starting to get angry.

“We’ve never like each other, Kane. We’ve never gotten along. I was a fool to believe that had changed.” 

Being called Kane felt like a slap in the face. “I love you god dammit!” he blurted out, sounding half desperate and half enraged. 

Abby’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at him speechless. Did he really just say that?

Marcus ran a hand through his hair in frustration and placed his hands on his hips. This was not how he wanted to declare his love to the mother of his children. “I know what you heard sounded bad, but you didn’t hear the whole conversation. I only spoke to my sister that night and we never discussed it again until today…..I love you, Abby,” he repeated as his warm chocolate eyes bore into her. “I think I fell in love with you long before you ever told me you were pregnant. I swear on the lives of our boys, everything that has happened the last few months has been real. I want a life with you and I don’t just mean being roommates or friends.” 

Looking at the floor and shaking her head sadly, she didn’t say anything. 

Closing the distance between them, he stopped directly in front of her. Hesitantly, he reached out and took her hand in his. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me too,” he challenged. 

She finally looked up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. God, she wanted to believe him so badly. If she was being honest with herself, Abby had begun to envision a life with him long before now as well. “Marcus…..” she trailed off. 

“I love you, Abby, and I love Clarke,” he said firmly. “Even if you weren’t pregnant, I would still love you. I would still want a life, a family with you.” 

“I love you too,” she said quietly as a tear rolled down her cheek. 

Grinning ear to ear, he lovingly wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb as he felt his own eyes fill. He brought both hands up and cupped her face, pulling her lips to his. The kiss was gentle and filled with love. 

When their lips finally parted, Marcus brought his forehead to Abby’s, his arms still wrapped around her as she wove her fingers into his hair. “You believe me, right?” he asked quietly. 

“Yes,” she said pulling back so she could look at him. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I’m just pregnant and emotional.”

“Well, at least it gave us both the kick in the ass we needed to admit we love each other,” he smiled. “Although, I imagined it much more romantic.”

“All that matters is that we said it.”

“Yes,” he smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

**********

Coming back down the stairs, they found Aurora seated at the kitchen table, a nervous look on face. Clearly, she was waiting for them to return. “Is everything ok?” she asked. 

“Yes, everything is fine,” Marcus smiled as he placed a kiss to Abby’s temple. 

“Thank God,” Aurora said letting out a sigh of relief. “Abby, I’m so sorry. I was just being an overprotective sister.”

“Aurora, it’s ok, really,” Abby said sincerely. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions and ran off like that. I understand why Marcus would come to you for advice, especially when he thought I might be moving away.” 

“I just want you both to be happy.”

“We know and we are,” Marcus smiled. 

**********

While Marcus and Abby both wished their declarations of love would have been a happier, more romantic moment, they were both glad to finally have their feelings for one another out in the open. Like Marcus said, it was definitely the kick in the ass they needed to stop holding back and embrace exactly how they both felt. 

The following Sunday morning, Abby, Marcus and Clarke were at the kitchen table enjoying a large breakfast complete with bacon, eggs, homefries, and toast. They were in the middle of discussing their plans for the day when Clarke suddenly jumped up from her seat. 

“Oh, I forgot,” she said as she darted up the stairs.

“What did she forget?” Marcus asked confused. 

“I have no idea,” Abby shrugged.

A few minutes later, Clarke returned to the kitchen holding a homemade card in her hand. “I made this for you at school on Friday,” she said holding the card out to Marcus.

“For me?” Marcus furrowed his brow. Reaching out, he took the card from Clarke’s hand. Reading the front cover, he let out a small gasp when he saw HAPPY FATHER’S DAY scrawled in blue and green crayon. His eyes immediately snapped to Abby’s, matching looks of shock on both of their faces. 

“Open it,” Clarke pushed. 

Marcus swallowed hard and opened the card to reveal a drawing of him and Clarke playing soccer on the left side. On the other, it read: 

Marcus, 

Thanks for helping me with my soccer. Happy Father’s Day! 

Love, Clarke

“It’s ok, isn’t it?” the girl asked when neither adult said anything.

“I love it, Clarke,” Marcus said finally trusting his voice, his eyes shimmering. “Thank you so much.” Opening his arms, she immediately went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her for a moment before kissing her head and releasing her.

Abby’s heart melted as she watched the interaction between Marcus and her daughter. She knew how much the two had bonded and she was well aware that Clarke thought of Marcus more and more as her father with each passing day. As for Marcus, she was beyond grateful that he clearly loved her little girl as much as she did. 

As Clarke returned to her seat to finish her breakfast, Abby reached out and gave Marcus’ hand a reassuring squeeze. “Happy Father’s Day,” she smiled. 

**********

By 30 weeks, the school year was finally coming to a close and Abby found herself packing up her classroom for summer while Marcus was in an administrative meeting. 

“I can’t believe you won’t be here for the first day of school next year?” Diana said sadly as she helped Abby. “What the hell am I supposed to do?” 

“I’ll miss you too,” Abby smiled. “But I’ll be back after Christmas break. I promise.” 

“Do you think you’ll be ready?”

“Probably not, but I don’t want to take an entire school year off. Plus, I feel more comfortable coming back knowing that the boys will be with their grandmother, instead of at a daycare.” 

Luckily for them, Vera had been overjoyed when Marcus asked her to consider moving back to Buffalo to live with them once the twins were born. And, since Abby and Marcus were now sharing his master bedroom, Vera would have her own space upstairs with the rest of the family. 

“Usually women dread their mother in law moving in,” Diana smirked. 

Abby rolled her eyes. “She’s not my mother in law, Diana.” 

“Not yet, but she will be.” 

Abby chose to ignore her comment. “I love Vera. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met and Clarke absolutely adores her. I’m grateful that she is willing to help us with the boys.” 

“Me too because I don’t think I’d make it an entire school year without you.” 

“Knock, knock,” a familiar voice called from the doorway. 

“Well, if it isn’t Prince Charming,” Diana teased as Marcus walked into the room. 

“Very funny,” he smiled. “Are you ready?”

“Yep,” Abby said grabbing her bag from the top of her desk. 

“Did you ask her?”

“Ask me what?” Diana said curiously. 

Marcus looked apologetically at Abby. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok,” she chuckled. “I was waiting for you.” 

“Ask me what?” Diana asked again, this time a little more impatiently. 

“Marcus and I were wondering if you’d be willing to be one of their godmothers?” she asked gesturing to her bump. 

“Really? Me?”

“Of course, you! You’re practically a sister to me.” 

“And you’re ok with this?” Diana asked Marcus. 

“Absolutely,” he said sincerely. 

“I would be honored,” Diana agreed teary eyed as she pulled Abby into a hug. “But I’m still not changing diapers.” 

“Fine,” Abby laughed. 

**********  
The next day, Marcus was out mowing the lawn while Abby was beached on the living room sofa catching up on her DVR. Thank God for air conditioning, she thought to herself. 

“Mom?” Clarke asked from her spot on the floor where she was coloring. 

“Yes?”

“Are you and Marcus going to get married?”

Abby had been wondering how long it would take for Clarke to ask this particular question, especially now that she and Marcus were in an official relationship. It was now a common occurrence for the two of them to hold hands, cuddle, kiss, and exchange I love yous on a regular basis. “Clarke, come up here and sit with me.” 

Rising from the floor, Clarke climbed up on the sofa beside her mother. “No, we are not getting married.” 

“Oh,” she said sadly. 

“But, that doesn’t mean we won’t someday. We just want to focus on you and your brothers right now. Does that make sense?”

“I guess,” Clarke shrugged. 

Noticing her daughter’s disappointed expression, Abby asked, “Do you want us to get married?”

“Yeah and so do Bellamy and Octavia.” 

“They do, huh?” Abby chuckled. 

“Yeah, they said if you get married, Marcus would be my Dad and they would be my cousins.” 

“Well, that’s true, but I think they are already those things, don’t you? If we get married, nothing would change.” Abby explained as she wrapped her arms around Clarke and pulled her closer. 

“We’re a family now, sweetie, whether Marcus and I are married or not. I promise.” 

“Ok,” the girl nodded. “But I still want you to get married.” 

Before Abby was able to respond, the front door opened and Marcus stepped inside with an unreadable look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh, we have company,” Marcus said gesturing behind him. 

Abby’s eyes widened in surprise when she got a clear look at the two people behind Marcus. “Mom? Dad?”

“Hello Abigail.”


	14. 14

“Grandma! Grandpa!” Clarke squealed as she launched herself at the older couple. 

While Clarke greeted her grandparents, Marcus went over to the sofa to help Abby up. “I have no idea why they’re here,” she whispered quietly. 

Marcus only shrugged in response. 

“Hi Mom,” Abby said as she hugged her mother. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi sweetheart. Sorry to just pop in unannounced, but we figured it was the only way we’d get to see you and Clarke.” 

“And to meet the new man in your life,” her father added. 

“Oh sorry, this is Marcus. Marcus, these are my parents, Joe and Sandy Walker.” 

“We met outside, sweetie,” Sandy reminded her. 

“Right.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Marcus smiled politely as he stood in a pair of gym shorts and an old tshirt, hot and sweaty from his day of yard work. “Uh, you know what, I’m going to run upstairs and shower and give you a chance to catch up. Excuse me.” 

Once Marcus was out of sight, Abby turned back to her parents. “What is going on?”

“Come on, Clarke. Let’s let Grandma and your Mom talk,” Joe said leading the girl into the other room.

“We told you, we just wanted to see our daughter and granddaughter,” said Sandy. “You insisted on staying here and we barely hear from you, Abby. What did you expect?”

Abby sighed. “I’m sorry. I know I should call you more often,” she admitted. “Things have just been so busy with work, and moving, and Clarke, and the pregnancy.” 

“We understand, really we do, but we’re just worried about you and our grandchildren.” 

“You have nothing to worry about. I promise.”

“My widowed daughter gets pregnant with twins out of wedlock and then, instead of moving home where we can help, decides to move in with the father, who also happens to be the boss she can’t stand. What’s not supposed to worry me about that scenario, Abigail?” Sandy asked studying her daughter. 

“Marcus and I love each other, Mom.” 

Sandy’s eyes grew wide, “Since when?”

“We fell in love,” Abby shrugged. “It happened and we are very happy.” 

“He’s good to you?”

“Yes,” Abby smiled. “And he and Clarke adore each other.” 

“You know your Dad and I are just worried, right? We just want what’s best for you and your children, Abby.” 

“I know and this is it. Marcus is what’s best for us.”

“Ok,” Sandy conceded as she pulled Abby into a tight hug. 

**********

While Clarke visited with her grandparents, Abby went upstairs to find Marcus. He was just finishing getting dressed when she walked into their bedroom. 

“Hey,” she said plopping down on the bed. 

“Hey yourself,” he smiled as he pulled a clean tshirt over his head. 

“I’m sorry they just showed up like that. I had no idea they were coming.”

Marcus walked over and took a seat next to her on the bed. “It’s ok. I don’t mind,” he said taking her hand in his. “Besides, you put up with my family a few weeks ago.”

“That’s true,” she chuckled. “But this is your house, Mar…..”

“Our house,” he corrected her. “This is our house, Abby.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiled before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. “Come on,” he said pulling her up. “I’ll throw the steaks and chicken on the grill and we can visit with your folks.”

Abby pulled a face. “Do we have to?”

“Yes,” he chuckled leading her from the room. 

**********

Abby gave her mother a tour of the house and a look at the nursery while Marcus and her father grilled on the patio. “It’s adorable. I love it!” Sandy exclaimed when she saw the sports-puppy theme in the nursery. 

“Thanks,” Abby chuckled. “Of course, Marcus wanted sports and I wanted puppies or elephants, so we compromised.” 

“Speaking of compromising, have you two decided on names yet?”

“Ha! Not even close.” 

“I’ve always loved Andrew and Robert.”

“Uh, I don’t think so, Mom. Those two weren’t even on our original list.” 

“Why don’t you tell me the names that you have left and I’ll help you.”

“No thanks, Mom. Marcus and I can handle it.” 

“You don’t want my opinion?” Sandy asked offended. 

“When it comes to naming my children? No,” Abby smiled sweetly. 

**********

“I noticed the sports memorabilia in the basement,” Joe said as he and Marcus stood on the patio sipping their beers. “Did you play anything?”

“Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, and Soccer when I was growing up and in high school, then I played Baseball at Purdue.”

“Impressive. I was a Football guy myself.” 

“I’ve played Flag Football. Does that count?”

Joe chuckled, “No.” 

“Damn,” Marcus smiled. “I do love Football though. Obviously, living in WNY, I am huge Bills fan.” 

“Glutton for punishment?”

“Apparently,” Marcus said as he flipped the steaks and chicken breasts on the grill. “How about you? Who does Boise, Idaho root for?”

“Depends. Most of Idaho roots for the Seahawks, but I’m a Broncos fan all the way.” 

“Can’t go wrong with Elway.” 

“That’s true,” Joe agreed. 

The pair was silent for several minutes as they watched Clarke on the playset and Marcus checked on the food. 

“Are you planning to marry my daughter, Marcus?” Joe asked completely out of the blue. 

Marcus was shocked. Not that he hadn’t thought about marrying Abby, of course he had! He just hadn’t expected her father to show up on his doorstep and to put him on the spot. “Yes Sir, I am,” he said confidently. “But we both feel it’s best to wait until after the boys are born.” 

“You do realize I will kill you if you hurt my daughter, right Marcus?”

“I don’t doubt it.”

**********

That night, Abby crawled under the covers completely exhausted. She was always exhausted now, but to have her parents show up unexpectedly had pushed her over the edge. She loved them dearly, but their presence certainly wore her out and added to her stress level. 

Grabbing the remote from the nightstand, she propped up the pillows and cued up the latest episode of Blue Bloods on the DVR while she waited for Marcus to lock up downstairs.

“Blue Bloods?” Marcus asked when he came into the room and headed to the closet to change. 

“I missed last week’s episode.” 

Abby couldn’t help but lick her lips when he emerged wearing only a pair of navy pajama pants that hung low on his hips. Sliding in beside her, he placed a lingering kiss on her lips before pulling away, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her close. She immediately cuddled into his side. 

“I checked on Clarke,” he said.

“Let me guess, she was either hanging halfway out of the bed or completely turned in the opposite direction.”

“The latter,” he chuckled. 

“So, you and my Dad were alone for quite a while before we ate,” Abby pointed out during a commercial break. “How’d it go?”

“Good. We talked about sports, he made fun of me for being a Bills fan, and….” he trailed off. 

“And?” she asked as she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him.

“He asked me if I planned to marry you.” 

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Speaking of, he also told me he’d kill me if I ever hurt you.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Abby, you have nothing to apologize for,” he laughed. “He’s a father protecting his daughter.” 

“Yes, but I’m not an 18 year old kid. I’m a 38 year old woman!”

“Doesn’t matter. My Dad was the same way with Aurora.” 

Abby let out a heavy sigh as she placed her head back on his shoulder. “Just out of curiosity, what did you tell him?”

“Hmm?”

“About getting married?”

"Oh,” he chuckled. “I told him I have any every intention of marrying you.” 

“Good answer,” she said as she smiled and snuggled into him. 

“I forgot to tell you,” Marcus started. “Clarke told me and your Dad what she wants us to name the boys.” 

“This should be good.”

“Chase and Marshall.”

Once again, Abby picked her head up and looked at him. “After Paw Patrol? Absolutely not!”

“Agreed,” Marcus laughed. “Don’t worry, I told her that you and I already have a good list.” 

“Actually,” Abby said biting her lip. “I’ve been thinking about our list.”

“And?” Marcus asked with a furrowed brow. 

“I’m having second thoughts.”

“What does that mean?”

“I think we need to toss our list.” 

Marcus groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Abby.” 

“I know exactly what we should name them and I think you’ll agree”

“That would be a first,” he said under his breath. 

“Just hear me out.” Reaching into the nightstand drawer, Abby took out their list and a pen and quickly scribbled something down. When she finished, she looked it over and smiled before handing the paper to Marcus. “What do you think?”


	15. 15

“Where is this lake house, again?” Abby asked as she and Marcus packed up his Jeep Wrangler for the July 4th holiday. 

“It’s on Lake George, about 5 hours east. 

“And it belongs to Jaha?”

“Yep. He isn’t going to be using it this year, so he offered it to us. You’re really going to love it, Abby. It’s waterfront with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, it’s own dock, and it’s fully renovated from top to bottom.” 

“Sounds expensive.” 

“It goes for about $2,000/night when he rents it out. Obviously, he’s not charging us,” he added when he saw the color drain from Abby’s face. 

“Thank God,” she chuckled. 

Abby’s parents had decided to extend their stay through the 4th, so they would be accompanying them to the lake house along with Vera, Aurora, Bellamy, and Octavia. The couple viewed it as the perfect opportunity for their families to get to know one another. 

Once everything was packed, Marcus, Abby, and Clarke hopped in the Jeep while her parents followed in Abby’s Ford Escape. 

**********

“Clarke!” Bellamy and Octavia screamed as they ran to the Jeep to greet her. 

“Come on! I want to show you the lake!” Bellamy said taking her hand and pulling her towards the house. 

“Thanks a lot guys! Missed you too!” Marcus called after them. 

“Be careful you three! And don’t go in the water!” Abby added. 

“My God, this is absolutely gorgeous!” Sandy said in awe looking at the large waterfront home. 

“What does your friend do again?” Joe asked. 

“He’s an engineer, but this originally belonged to his grandfather. They’ve put additions on and renovated over the years.” 

“Hello there!” Vera greeted the new arrivals as she and Aurora made their way down the driveway. 

“Hi Vera. Hi Aurora,” Abby smiled hugging both women. 

“Hi Mom. Hi Sis,” Marcus hugged and kissed them both. “Mom, this is Joe and Sandy Walker, Abby’s parents. This is my mother, Vera, and my sister, Aurora.” 

“I’m so pleased to meet you both!” Vera beamed. “Come on, the kids can handle the luggage. Let’s get ourselves some drinks and I’ll give you a tour.” 

“Kids?” Marcus pulled a face as he watched Vera lead Joe and Sandy away. 

**********

A few hours later, everyone was settled into their rooms and enjoying everything the lake house had to offer. While the kids were keeping themselves occupied in the basement gameroom, the six adults congregated on the upper deck overlooking the water. 

“I still can’t get over this view,” Aurora commented as she relaxed in her adirondack chair and sipped a wine cooler. 

“It’s gorgeous,” Abby agreed next to her. “We may have ask Jaha if we can visit more often.” 

“Told you,” Marcus smiled. “And I agree. I’d definitely like to bring the boys here.” 

“Have you two managed to agree on names for my nephews yet?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“What? Spill it!” 

“Not a chance,” Marcus smirked. “You’ll find out when they are born.” 

Aurora rolled her eyes at her brother, “Jerk.” 

**********

“Where’s everyone going?” Abby asked confused as her parents, Vera, Aurora, and all three kids headed for the front door. 

“We’re going to get ice cream!” Clarke said excitedly. 

“Seriously? Did you not think that the pregnant lady would be interested in ice cream?” 

“Sorry sweetie, but you and Marcus already have plans,” Sandy smiled and winked. “See you later.” 

“What?” Abby asked confused as everyone disappeared out the front door. Plans? What plans? And where the hell was Marcus anyway? 

“Marcus?” she called getting up from the kitchen table. 

“Out here,” he called from the outdoor deck. 

Heading out the sliding glass door, Abby found him with his back leaning against the railing, a single red rose in his hand, and that damn smile plastered on his face. 

“What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to spend some time alone with you, that’s all,” he said pushing himself off the railing and crossing to her. “I believe this is for you.” 

“Thank you,” she smiled accepting the rose. Looking behind him, out toward the lake, her eyes grew wide at the sight of candles lining both sides of their long dock and what looked to be a table for two at the end. “Marcus.” 

“Come on, let’s go,” he said taking her hand in his and leading her down the stairs, across the lawn, and down to the dock. “I thought we could have dinner on the dock tonight, just the two of us.”

“When did you have time to do all of this?” 

“When our parents had you cornered in the house discussing the twins,” he smirked. “And I can’t take all the credit, the kids and Aurora helped.” 

“It’s beautiful,” she said as her eyes glistened in the Adirondack sunset.

“Shall we?” 

The pair took their seats overlooking the lake and Abby’s stomach growled when she saw the grilled filet shish kabobs and fresh vegetables in front of her. The man definitely knew the way to her heart. “Please tell me that’s not champagne?” Abby asked pointed to the their glasses. 

“Of course, not,” Marcus chuckled. “It’s sparkling white grape juice.” 

“Perfect.” 

They ate their meals, occasionally discussing the beauty of their surroundings and how in awe Abby was at everything he had done. When they finally finished, it was dark and the candles shone brightly on the illuminated dock. 

“This was beautiful and the food was delicious. Thank you,” she smiled lacing her fingers with his and leaning over to capture his lips.

“You’re welcome,” he said before pulling her out of her seat. “Come with me.” 

He led her to the other side of the dock, away from the table, so they were standing on the edge of the water. Turning to face her, he took both of her hands in his own. “Abby, when you walked into your interview 4 years ago, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.”

“Wait, what?” she asked unable to stop herself. 

Marcus sighed, “Can you let me say what I have to say, please?”

“I’m sorry, yes. Continue,” she apologized, the corners of her mouth quirking up. 

“I had every intention of asking you out for a drink or to dinner, but then I realized what an enormous pain in the ass you were.”

“That’s sweet,” she commented raising an eyebrow. 

Ignoring her commentary, he pushed on. “You drove me absolutely insane on a daily basis and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to strangle you or press you against the nearest wall.” 

Abby’s eyebrows shot up at his words. “And yet you did neither,” she teased. 

“Thank God for the Christmas party,” he smirked. “A part of me always loved you, but that night I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

A single tear rolled down Abby’s cheek at his admission. She had always suspected as much, but to hear him voice it out loud was something entirely different. Suddenly, she felt even more guilty for leaving the morning after the party. 

“I know this pregnancy wasn’t planned, but these little guys brought us together,” he continued placing a hand on her belly. “The three of you, and Clarke, are the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

Abby had been holding her emotions in check, but hearing that officially opened her hormonal floodgates. Even Marcus’ eyes were wet as he spoke. 

The next thing she knew, Marcus Kane was dropping down on one knee in front of her and pulling out a beautiful white gold engagement ring from the pocket of his chinos. 

“I love you, Abby, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our kids. Will you marry me?” he asked as his chocolate eyes glistened in the moonlight.

Not trusting her voice at first, Abby nodded as the tears streamed down her cheeks. “Yes, yes, yes. Of course, I’ll marry you,” she finally croaked out as she pulled him to his feet. 

He slipped the ring over her finger and then captured her lips. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” 

**********

Hours later, after celebrating with the rest of their family, Abby laid in Marcus’ arms, her head pillowed on his chest as she gazed at the beautiful engagement he chose for her. “Marcus?”

“Hmm?” he asked almost asleep. 

“I think we should get married before the boys get here.”

“Really? I thought you wanted to wait until they were born?”

“I thought I did, but now that we’re engaged, why wait? I think we should just make an appointment and go to city hall when we get home.”

“Is that really what you want?”

“Well, it’s definitely not what I would choose,” she chuckled. “But I could go into labor at any time. We don’t have many options. I just want us to be married. It doesn’t matter how we get there.” 

“Ok,” he said before kissing her head. “We’ll make it official as soon as we get home.” 

**********

The next morning, Marcus decided to get up and let Abby sleep in. When he came downstairs, the kids were already playing in the yard and the adults were enjoying their coffee out on the deck. 

“Morning dear,” Vera smiled when she saw him. 

“Morning everyone.”

“Where’s Abby?” Aurora asked. 

“Still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her,” Marcus told them before taking a sip of his coffee. “Speaking of Abby, I need everyone’s help with something…..”


	16. 16

On July 4th, Marcus and Joe took the kids out on Jaha’s boat while the ladies enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on the deck. 

“Have you chosen the other godparents, Abby?” Aurora asked from her seat around the outdoor table. 

“Yes, my best friend, Diana, is the other godmother and Marcus’ two friends Thelonius and David are the two godfathers.”

“Thelonius is the man that owns this lake house, right?” Sandy asked. 

“Yes, he and Marcus have been friends since elementary school. Same with David Miller,” Vera added. “Aurora dear, would you help me bring out the food? We should probably get everything on the grill.” 

“Sure.”

“I’ll help too,” Sandy said.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Vera said firmly. “Sit here and keep Abby company.” 

“I love that woman,” Sandy said sincerely once the two other women disappeared through the slider. 

“I know. Vera is wonderful,” Abby smiled. 

“How are you feeling, honey? Honestly?”

Abby sighed. “Tired and big.” 

“You’re in the home stretch.” 

“Thank God,” she chuckled. “I can’t wait for them to be here.”

“Honey, I know I wasn’t exactly thrilled when you told us you were pregnant and you were moving in with Marcus, but I have to say, I’ve never seen you happier.” 

“Thanks Mom,” she smiled. “I am happy.” 

“It’s hard for me to picture you and Marcus not liking one another,” Sandy laughed. “The two of you seem so in love.” 

“We are. We just had a rocky start, that’s all.” 

“Have you discussed wedding plans yet?”

“Mom, we’ve been engaged for less than 24 hours!”

“I know,” Sandy chuckled. “But that doesn’t mean you haven’t discussed it.”

“We were going to wait until next summer, but now I think I’d like to be married before the twins are born,” Abby said sipping her lemonade. “We’re going to stop by city hall next week to make it official.” 

“That can’t be the wedding you want, sweetheart.” 

“No, it’s not, but we’re running out of time. Besides, all that matters is that Marcus and I are married.” 

The corners of Sandy’s mouth pulled up and she quickly hide it behind her glass of iced tea. “I agree.” 

**********

After enjoying a cookout, everyone packed up their chairs, blankets, and snacks and headed for Shepard Park to enjoy the Lake George fireworks display. Scoping out the perfect spot, Marcus laid out a large outdoor picnic blanket for the kids and placed a couple chairs for himself and Abby next to it. At 32 weeks, there was no way Abby would be comfortable on the ground, not to mention the difficulty she would have trying to get back up. Wanting to give the lovebirds a little space, Vera, Joe, Sandy, and Aurora set up their chairs on the other side of the blanket. 

“Uncle Marcus, come play catch with us,” Bellamy said as he pulled a football from one of the bags. 

“Will you be ok?” he asked Abby. 

“I’ll be fine,” she chuckled. “Go have fun.”

He gave her a quick kiss before running after the kids.

Abby watched them for a few minutes, her heart melting at the sight of Marcus Kane playing and laughing with Clarke, Bellamy, and Octavia as they tossed the football back and forth. Although he was an elementary school principal, until a few months ago, she could never have imagined him being so fun and carefree. He loved the three kids and it was clear that the feeling was mutual.  
Feeling the twins stir, she placed a hand on her belly. It still amazed her every time she felt them move, but the tiny foot pushing up and under her rib cage wasn’t exactly comfortable. “Easy there, kiddo,” she said quietly.

Returning her attention to Marcus and kids, she could easily picture him with their boys. He was going to be an amazing father, she was sure of it. She smiled as she pictured him in the backyard teaching them how to throw and kick a ball or how to swim in their pool. 

“Do you need anything dear?” Vera’s voice pulled from her thoughts. 

“No, thank you, Vera,” she smiled. “I’m fine.” 

Following Abby’s eyes, Vera herself couldn’t help but smile at the scene of Marcus and the kids. “He’s going to be a wonderful father. He’s been waiting a very long time for this.”

“I know,” Abby nodded. “These two little guys are very lucky.” 

**********

At dusk, everyone took their seats to enjoy the large fireworks display over the lake. The kids laid on the blanket, enjoying their snacks, while Abby and Marcus snuggled together in their chairs. With their fingers intertwined, Abby rested her head on Marcus’ shoulder. 

“I heard you ladies are going shopping tomorrow?” Marcus asked while they looked out over the lake. 

“I guess,” Abby shrugged. “I’m not sure why everyone wants to go shopping all of a sudden?”

“Just something to do. I think they just want to check out all the cool little shops in the village.”

“What are you, my dad, and the kids going to do while we’re gone?”

“Probably go swimming and take another spin in the boat. I know the kids wanted to try fishing too.” 

“That sounds fun,” Abby smiled against him. 

“We shouldn’t have pumped the kids so full of sugar today,” Marcus sighed as he watched them down an entire bag of cotton candy, ice cream bars, and pop (*see chapter notes). 

“Why?”

“Because I want them asleep so you and I can make some fireworks of our own when we get back to the house,” he whispered in her ear. 

She lifted her head to look at him, a smile tugging at her lips, “That’s so cheesy.”

“I’m sorry,” he laughed. “But it’s true.” 

“As much as I’d love that, Marcus, I’m 32 weeks pregnant.”

“We’ll just have to be creative,” he smirked wiggling his eyebrows.

**********

By the following afternoon, Abby, Aurora, Vera, and Sandy had visited almost every shop in Lake George. “Oooh, ladies, let’s go in here,” Aurora said gesturing to Le Chic, a small boutique shop in the heart of the village. 

“Come on, sweetheart. It says they carry maternity dresses. Maybe we can find you something to wear for the wedding next week?”

“Mom, it’s not a wedding. We’re just going to city hall,” Abby corrected her as her mother pulled her into the boutique. 

“You’re going to end up married, aren’t you? So, it’s a wedding. You should at least have a beautiful dress when you marry the man you love.” 

Abby rolled her eyes, but didn’t protest. Maybe her mother was right. If she couldn’t have the wedding she wanted, she might as well be wearing a pretty dress when she and Marcus said I do.

Splitting up to cover more ground, all four ladies scrowered the shop for the perfect maternity dress for Abby. She liked several of the ones they brought her, but they were either to formal, to casual, too long, or too short. Abby was ready to give up when something caught her eye. “Wait a minute,” she said as she walked over to one of the racks and picked up a gorgeous ivory chiffon bell sleeve dress. Looking at the tag, it could fit, she thought to herself. 

“Oh Abby, that’s beautiful!” Aurora exclaimed. 

“You have to try it on dear,” said Vera. 

“You think?” she asked biting her bottom lip. 

“Go!” they all yelled in unison. 

**********

“Where is everyone?” Abby asked when the group returned to the lake house a little after 4 o’clock. 

“Not sure. Maybe they’re still out on the boat?” Aurora shrugged. 

“They’ll be back soon, I’m sure,” Vera added. “Come on, ladies, let’s take our bags upstairs and get ready for dinner.” 

Thinking nothing of it, Abby followed everyone else upstairs to change. Marcus had made them all a 6pm dinner reservation at the Shoreline Restaurant in town and they needed to change out of their tank tops, shorts, and flip flops to look presentable. She was just about to hang up her new dress and search the closet for a comfy sundress when her mother came into the bedroom. “I wouldn’t hang that up just yet, sweetheart.”

“Why?” Abby asked confused without looking at her. 

“I think you’re going to need it,” she smiled. 

Abby furrowed her brow as she turned to look at her mother who had changed into a sleeveless floral maxi dress. “What?”

“Take a look for yourself,” Sandy said gesturing towards the windows overlooking the backyard and the lake. 

Slowly, Abby crossed the room and peered through the plantation shutters. She immediately gasped when she saw rows of white chairs set up near the shoreline, directly in front of a simple, yet elegant, wooden arch. 

“Knock, knock!” a familiar voice called from the doorway. 

“Diana? Oh my God, what are you doing here?” she asked, still completely confused. 

“What does it look like, Abs? I’m here to see my best friend and boss get hitched,” the blonde smirked. 

“What?” 

“Sweetie, Marcus knows city hall is not what you want, so he decided to give you the wedding you deserve,” Sandy smiled. “Now hurry up and get dressed!” 

Abby was stunned. How on earth did Marcus pull this together in less than 48 hours? “Is that why we went shopping today? You planned on finding me a dress the whole time?” she asked as realization dawned. 

“That was our job,” Sandy said proudly. “Mission accomplished.” 

“Get dressed, Abs! Prince Charming is waiting for you,” Diana said grabbing the dress and pushing her into the en suite. 

**********

“She’s getting dressed. She should be down in a few minutes,” Diana assured everyone outside. 

Marcus felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. This was it. He was going to marry Abby. A part of him still thought this was a dream and he was going to wake up at any moment, cold and alone in his large empty house. How did he get so lucky? 

Finally, the signal came that Abby was ready and their officiant told them to take their places. Marcus stood in front of the arch with Thelonius and David behind him while, on the opposite side, stood Diana and Aurora. Taking one final look around, Marcus was pleased with how everything had turned out, especially with such short notice. He knew he couldn’t have done it without everyone pitching in and, for that, he was grateful. No, it was the wasn’t the big white wedding with all the bells and whistles, but it was beautiful. Most importantly, it wasn’t city hall. It was a casual, rustic lakeside wedding and it was perfect. 

Moments later, when Abby came into view, Marcus felt his breath hitch. She was absolutely breathtaking in the dress she’d purchased as she walked towards him on her father’s arm. 

Walking towards the edge of the water, the only thing Abby saw was the man she was about to marry. Marcus looked as handsome as ever in his beige chino shorts and crisp white button down shirt, rolled just below the elbows. God, the man was sexy, and he was about to be hers. 

When she finally reached her destination, Marcus shook Joe’s hand before lacing his fingers with Abby’s and guiding her in front of the officiant. “Hi,” he said quietly with a ridiculously large grin on his face. 

“Hi,” she smiled back. 

“Marcus and Abby, you have found that special "someone" to love and trust with heart, mind, and soul. You have found someone to support you and comfort you in times of trial. We celebrate with you the love you have discovered in each other and we support your decision to commit yourselves to each other for the rest of your lives. Marriage is an honorable estate not to be entered into lightly but thoughtfully and reverently. Marriage is a commitment to take another person as a Friend, Companion and Lover.” 

“Marcus, please place the ring on Abby’s finger and repeat after me.”

His heart raced and his hands trembled as he took Abby’s hand in his own. “Abby, I promise to commit my love to you; to respect your individuality; to be with you through life's changes; and to nurture and strengthen the love between us, as long as we both shall live." 

“Abby, please place the ring on Marcus’ finger and repeat after me.”

Abby swallowed heard before looking up into Marcus’ warm brown eyes. “Marcus, I promise to commit my love to you; to respect your individuality; to be with you through life's changes; and to nurture and strengthen the love between us, as long as we both shall live." 

The officiant smiled approvingly, “Marcus and Abby, you have come here of your own free will and in the presence of your family and friends, have declared your love and commitment to each other. You have given and received a ring as a symbol of your promises. Therefore, by the power vested in me by the laws of the state of New York, I take great pride and pleasure as I declare you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”

They looked at one another, both grinning ear to ear, before Marcus finally leaned forward and captured his wife’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pop = Soda
> 
> In Western NY, we always say pop, never soda.


	17. 17

“I can’t believe you did this,” Abby whispered in his husband’s ear as they slow danced on the ground level patio. 

“Well, I can’t exactly take all the credit. Everyone helped,” Marcus smiled as he pressed a kiss into his new bride’s hair. “So, better than city hall?” 

Abby pulled back to look at him. “Definitely. Thank you.” 

“I love you,” Marcus said dropping his forehead to hers. 

“I love you too.”

**********

“Excuse me, lovebirds, but can I steal the bride away for a few minutes?” Diana asked when she found Marcus and Abby wrapped in each other’s arms by the large fire pit. 

“If you promise to bring her back,” Marcus sighed. 

Diana rolled her eyes and Abby giggled as she pulled her friend towards the patio. “Come on, Abs.” 

“Where are we going?”

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” the blonde said as she approached a tall, dark haired man with striking blue eyes. “Abby, this is Russell, my date for tonight. Russell, this is my best friend, Abby.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Abby. Diana’s told me so much about you,” Russell smiled. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” 

“Russell is a professor at Niagara University. Sinclair introduced us when we were there for a conference last month.” 

“Niagara? That’s impressive,” Abby smiled. 

“Thank you. It’s a wonderful place to work.” 

“Are you originally from WNY, Russell?”

“No, I just moved to the area last summer. I’m originally from Spokane, Washington.” 

“I’m from Boise!” Abby exclaimed. “It’s nice to meet someone else from the Pacific Northwest.” 

“Russell!” Sinclair called from the bar where he stood with Jaha and David. 

“I’m being summoned,” Russell chuckled. “If you’ll excuse me, ladies.” 

“So, what do you think?” Diana asked practically giddy. 

“He’s fantastic,” Abby smiled. “How serious are the two of you?”

Diana shrugged, “Like I said, we met last month, but we’ve been hot and heavy ever since. We haven’t officially labeled it yet, but the sex is amazing.” 

“You’re so bad,” Abby laughed. 

“Yes, I am.” 

**********

“Did Abby come to her senses already?” Aurora teased her brother as she took a seat next to him in front of the fire. 

“Haha. No, she’s on the patio with Diana.”

“Diana’s a hoot. I like her.”

“She’s definitely one of a kind,” Marcus laughed. 

“I’m really happy for you, little brother,” she said as she reached out to take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Abby and Clarke are both amazing.”

“Thank you, sis. They are.” 

**********

The next morning, Abby awoke to Marcus’ firm body pressed against her back and his hand laying protectively over her swollen belly. Content, she sighed and smiled as she looked at the new wedding bands that adorned both of their ring fingers. 

He must have sensed she was awake because she felt him shift behind her and tighten his hold before he pressed a kiss on her bare shoulder. “Good morning, Mrs. Kane,” he said, his voice still full of sleep. 

“Good morning, Mr. Kane.” 

“Whoa!” Marcus exclaimed when he felt a hard kick against his hand. “Looks like we are not the only ones awake.” 

“They’ve been restless lately. I think they want out,” Abby chuckled as she placed her hand over her husband’s. 

“I want them out too,” he laughed. 

“You’re not the only.”

“Come on, let’s get up and get something to eat.”

“Do we have to?” Abby whined. 

Marcus laughed as he slid out of bed pulled on a pair of shorts and a tshirt. “Ok, how about I make us something and we can eat it up here?”

“Deal!”

**********

When Marcus came down the stairs, he was surprised at how quiet it was. It was almost 10:30am and everyone should have been up long ago. 

“Where is everyone? Mom? Aurora?”

When he didn’t receive a response, he headed into the kitchen where he found a note hanging on the refrigerator: 

Good Morning Newlyweds:

We thought you two could use a couple days to yourselves before the twins arrive. Joe and Sandy are heading back to your place. I’m bringing Clarke back to Syracuse so she can spend a few more days with Bell and Octavia. You can pick her up on your way home, so relax and enjoy the rest of your vacation….er honeymoon. Love you!

Aurora

Marcus couldn’t help but smile at the note. While he loved spending time with his family, he was thrilled at the prospect of spending two whole days, alone, with his new bride. 

**********

Marcus carefully balanced a tray of coffee, french toast, bacon, and fresh fruit as he returned upstairs. Entering their bedroom, he found Abby on the private balcony enjoying the fresh morning air. 

“Breakfast is served,” he announced proudly as he set the tray down on the table. 

“That looks amazing. I’m starving,” Abby said taking a seat. “Where is everyone? It’s so quiet.” 

“I found this note in the kitchen,” he told her as he held out the piece of paper. 

Abby furrowed her brow as she read Aurora’s words. “They’re gone?”

“Looks that way. Are you upset?”

“No, of course not. I’m just surprised.” 

Marcus glanced at his watch, “They should be back to Aurora’s house by now. Let’s eat and then we can FaceTime with Clarke. How does that sound?”

Ok,” she smiled. 

**********

After finishing their breakfast and checking in with Clarke, Marcus and Abby decided to take the deck boat out. With temps in the low 80s and bright blue skies overhead, the weather was perfect for a relaxing day on the lake. 

As Marcus confidently guided them across Lake George, Abby couldn’t take her eyes off of him in his royal blue Under Armour tank, black chino shorts, and aviator sunglasses. His skin was bronzed from the summer sun and his arm muscles flexed as he turned the steering wheel. She licked her lips, knowing full well that if she wasn’t so pregnant and uncomfortable, she would probably attack him right here on the boat. Next time, she promised herself. 

Nearing the middle of the lake, Marcus shut off the engine and joined Abby in the large, open seating area. “Did we break down?” she teased. 

“Very funny,” he rolled his eyes. “Scoot over.” 

Taking a seat on cushioned bench, he leaned back and stretched out his legs, patting the open space in between as a cue for Abby to take a seat. Settling between his legs, Abby leaned back against his chest as he wrapped his strong arms around her. 

They were silent for several minutes, simply enjoying the peace and quiet and the feeling of being in each other’s arms as the water almost lulled them both to sleep. 

As if they could sense that their parents were about to fall asleep, one of their little bundles decided it was time to practice his Soccer and they both jumped at the hard, repetitive kicks. “They’re already keeping us awake,” Abby groaned. “We’re in trouble.” 

Marcus chuckled, “Double trouble.”

“They’ll be here before we know it.”

“Not too soon, I hope. You’re only 32 weeks.” 

“Well, my OB said I’d probably deliver around 35 weeks, which is common for twins.”

“Do you think you’ll make it to 35 weeks?” Marcus asked concerned. 

“I think so.”

“How many more times are you going to change your mind about their names between now and then?” he laughed. 

“We finally found two names that we both agree on. Trust me, I’m not changing my mind.” 

“Uh huh,” he said skeptically. 

**********

For the rest of the weekend, the newlyweds enjoyed their time to themselves. They toured downtown Lake George, visiting several gift shops, took in an outdoor concert at the park, and tried several restaurants in and around the village. 

“This was the perfect week,” Abby sighed as she and Marcus stood on the balcony of the lake house on their last night. 

“I agree,” he said wrapping his arm around her and kissing her temple. “But I’m confident that the next 40-50 years are going to be pretty great too.”

“40-50?” Abby asked arching an eyebrow and turning to look at him. 

“I’m aiming high,” he smiled. 

“There’s a mental image, you at 90 and me at 88,” she snorted. “Dear God.” 

“I’ll still think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Only because you’ll be blind by then,” she deadpanned and they both laughed. 

“As long as I still have great hair,” he smirked.


	18. 18

“Are you sure you’re going to be ok? I can stay home with you,” Marcus asked his wife as he pulled a polo shirt over his head. 

“Marcus, you’re hovering again. I’ll be fine,” she said from their bed. “Besides, you have to go to this seminar.”

At 35 weeks, Marcus knew the twins could arrive at any moment and he hated the idea of being away from Abby, especially for a pointless administrative seminar. “I just hate the idea of leaving you alone all day,” he confessed sitting down beside her. 

“I know, but I will be fine. I promise, I will do nothing but lay on the couch and watch daytime television,” she tried to reassure him. 

“At least let me make you something to eat before I go?”

“Well, I’m not going to turn down food,” she laughed. 

“I’ll wake up Clarke and get the food going. I’ll see you downstairs.” 

**********

After a shower, Abby dressed in a pair of black leggings and an oversized tshirt before heading downstairs to join Marcus and Clarke. 

“Hi Mom!” Clarke beamed when Abby came into the kitchen. 

“Morning baby,” Abby said kissing the top of the little girl’s head.

Just as Abby took her seat next to her daughter, Marcus placed a plate full of pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit in front of each of them. “Here you go.”

“Mmm, looks delicious.”

The trio enjoyed their breakfast, mostly listening to Clarke tell them how excited she was to go to day camp. “Did you remember to pack your bathing suit?” Abby asked between bites. 

“Yep!” 

“Is your cell phone fully charged?” Marcus asked Abby. 

“Yes,” she laughed. “Why?”

“Just in case something happens, I want to make sure you can call me or 911.” 

Abby thought he was adorable but she still rolled her eyes. “Clarke, go grab your backpack. You guys have to get going.” 

As Clarke ran into the other room, Marcus cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher while Abby poured herself another glass of orange juice and assumed her position on the living room sofa. 

“Ok, here’s the remote, your cell phone, and an extra blanket,” Marcus pointed out. 

“It’s the end of July!”

“You might get cold,” he shrugged. “I love you. Please rest today,” he practically begged as he bent down to capture her lips. 

“I love you too.”

“Bye sweetie. Have a great day at camp,” Abby smiled at her 7 year old before kissing her goodbye. 

“Bye Mom!”

As soon as Marcus and Clarke disappeared out the front door, Abby settled herself into the sofa cushions and turned on the television. 

**********

By lunch time, Abby was bored out of her mind. While she enjoyed relaxing, she wasn’t the type of person to sit on her ass for very long. It also didn’t help that she couldn’t find anything good to watch and she wasn’t in the mood to read. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, she got to her feet and headed upstairs to the nursery. Feeling her nesting instinct kick in, she removed the price tags from her latest Carter’s shopping spree and tossed them into the washing machine. While she waited, she re-packed her hospital bag, sterilized the baby bottles and pacifiers, and made sure the changing table was fully stocked with diapers and wipes. 

Checking the time on her phone, Abby knew it was time to move the baby clothes from the washer to the dryer. She had just stepped out of the nursery and into the hallway when a sharp pain in her belly nearly caused her to double over. “Ahhhhh!” she yelled holding her stomach. It passed quickly and she continued to the laundry room, trying to push the pain from her mind. It was nothing, she told herself. 

In the middle of moving the clothes over to the dryer, the pain hit her again, but this time more intense and prolonged. She sunk to the floor, leaning back against the machine for support. “Ahhhhh!” she cried out again. Suddenly, feeling something wet and sticky between her legs, she touched her leggings and was horrified when her hand came back red. “Oh my God.”

Knowing all three of them were in grave danger and Marcus was 45 minutes away, Abby quickly dialed 911 and explained her emergency to the dispatcher. The woman assured her that help was on the way as she struggled to make her way downstairs. The pain hit her again and she fell to her knees on the entryway floor, clutching her belly. “It’s going to be ok, babies. Help is coming. I promise.”

As tears streamed down her face, she dialed Diana, knowing she was at a salon appointment only 5 minutes from Abby’s house. 

“Hey Abs!” 

“Diana, I need you,” she ground out in pain. 

“Abby? Oh my God. What’s wrong?” Diana asked as panic gripped her. 

“I’m having sharp pains…..there’s blood. Something’s wrong,” she cried. “The ambulance is coming.” 

“What hospital? I’ll meet you.”

“Mercy. It’s the closest.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Diana, you need to call Marcus. Please.”

“Ok. I’ll call him right now.”

“The ambulance just pulled into the driveway. I have to go.”

With that, Abby disconnected the call and met the paramedics at the front door. They quickly got her on the gurney and whisked her away to Mercy Hospital, sirens blaring. 

**********

“How’s Abby feeling?” Indra asked during a break in their seminar. 

“She’s getting pretty uncomfortable, but she’s doing ok,” Marcus said picking up his phone. “Speaking of, I should probably call to check on her. Excuse me.” 

Heading out into the hallway for more privacy, it rang 5 times before going to voicemail. “Hi, it’s me. I just wanted to check in and make sure everything was alright. Just text me and let me know you’re ok. I love you.” 

Returning to his seat just as the presenter was resuming his presentation, Marcus tried to focus on the material in front of him, but his eyes kept drifting to his phone as he waited for Abby to text him back. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew something was wrong. Not being able to wait any longer, he quickly texted her, “Where are you? Are you ok? Please text me or call me. I’m worried. I love you.” 

Again, he waited for a response that did not come. Out of his mind with worry and not being to able to shake the feeling in his stomach that something was wrong, he discretely gathered his belongings and slipped out of the meeting room. 

He had just stepped out the front doors of the conference center when his phone rang in his hand. “Abby?” he answered without even looking at the caller ID. 

“Marcus, it’s Diana.”

Diana never called him. “What’s wrong?” he asked stopping dead in his tracks. 

Abby called me. She was in a lot of pain and, apparently, there was some blood. The ambulance is taking her to Mercy.”

“Jesus.” Marcus took off in a sprint for his car, his heart beating out of his chest. “I’m on my way.”

Tossing his bag and phone onto the passenger seat, he peeled out of the parking lot and headed for Mercy Hospital, knowing it would take at least 30 minutes, if not more, to get to Abby. His eyes were wet as he sped down the I-90, silently praying that his wife and children would be ok. 

**********

“Abby, my name is Dr. Jackson. We’re going to do an ultrasound and get a look at your babies,” he said as he moved the transducer across her belly, quickly discovering the cause of her intense pain and bleeding. 

“Have them prep the OR,” Dr. Jackson instructed one of the nurses calmly. 

“OR?” Abby asked alarmed. “What’s going on?”

“Abby, you have a placental abruption,” he informed her. “We’re going to perform an emergency cesarean to get your babies out as soon as possible.” 

Once again, hot tears streamed down her cheeks as the situation threatened to overwhelm her. Her boys were in danger and she was alone. All she wanted was Marcus by her side. “Are they going to be ok?”

“They will be as long as we get them out.”

**********

Arriving in record time, Marcus burst through the doors of the Mercy Hospital ER practically frantic. 

“Marcus,” Diana called out when she saw him. 

“Where’s Abby? Is she ok?” he asked breathlessly. 

“All I know is that they took her up for an emergency c-section…”

“What? Why?” he cut her off. 

“I don’t know. That’s all they told me.”

Making a beeline for the desk, he interrupted a conversation between 2 nurses, but he didn’t give a damn. “My wife was brought in by ambulance. Abigail Kane. Where is she?”

Taking pity on the distraught man in front of her, one of the nurses quickly checked her computer. “All I can tell you is that your wife was taken upstairs for an emergency cesarean. As soon as they’re finished, the doctor will be down to speak with you, Mr. Kane.” 

Beside himself, he angrily ran his hands over his face and through his hair, letting out an exasperated sigh. 

“Marcus, please come sit down,” Diana said tentatively as she guided him over to one of the chairs. “I’m sure everything is fine.”

“If everything were fine, she wouldn’t have been rushed in for an emergency c-section!” he snapped, but quickly regretted his tone. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. I’m just worried.”

“It’s ok, so am I.”

**********

It felt like hours, but in reality it was barely 30 minutes when Dr. Jackson entered the waiting room.

“Kane?”

In an instant, both Marcus and Diana flew from their seats. “I’m Abby’s husband. How is she?”

“She’s in recovery. The c-section went well and she’ll be moved into a room shortly.” 

“What happened?” Diana asked. 

“Abby suffered a placental abruption, which means the placenta separated from the wall of the uterus. It’s serious, but we were able to get the babies out in time. We were lucky.” 

“They’re ok?”

“Yes,” the young doctor smiled. “So far, they haven’t required any assistance, but I did send them to the NICU for observation, as a precaution.” 

Not knowing what was happening to his family, Marcus had feared the worst, but finding out that all three of them were doing well felt like an enormous weight had been lifted. “Thank you,” he said with his voice full of emotion.

“You’re welcome. One of the nurses will be down to get you as soon as your wife is moved into her room.”

As the doctor departed, Marcus and Diana shared an embrace, both grateful that Abby and the boys were doing well. “Thank God,” Diana sighed. 

“Thank you for being here.” 

“Of course. Hey, is Clarke at day camp today?”

“That’s right. I completely forgot.”

“Don’t worry about her. I’ll go pick her and she can stay with me,” Diana offered picking up her purse.

“Are you sure?”

“Marcus,” she laughed. “I think you’re needed here, don’t you? I’ll take care of Clarke, don’t worry.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. 

“Welcome. Give Abby my love,” she said as she hugged him goodbye. 

**********

Almost an hour later, one of the nurses put a hospital bracelet around Marcus’ wrist and led him up to the 4th floor maternity wing. “Room 423,” she said gesturing to the right. “We’ll bring the babies in as soon as they’re cleared from the NICU.”

“Thank you,” he nodded 

Stopping in the open doorway of room 423, he saw Abby in the hospital bed, her eyes closed. Quietly, he crossed to her bedside and bent to kiss her forehead.

Her eyes fluttered open, “Marcus…”

“Hey,” he whispered as he gently caressed her cheek. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

“I love you so much, Abby.” 

“I love you too.”

“Have you seen the boys yet?” Marcus asked taking a seat beside her. 

“Only when the the doctor held them up for a split second during my c-section. All I can tell you is they both had hair,” she chuckled. 

“Of course,” he smirked. “The nurse said someone will bring them over once they’re cleared. Hopefully soon.”

“I just want to hold them. I need to see for myself that they’re both ok,” she said through misty eyes.

“They’re fine,” Marcus reassured her. “What about you? How are you feeling?”

“Tired and sore,” she grimaced. “But I’ll be ok.” 

“Try and get some rest before the babies get here,” he said covering her up.

“Will you stay?”

“I won’t leave your side.” Bending over, he captured her lips in a sweet and gentle kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**********

As Abby slept, Marcus sat at her bedside, still shaken by how close he had come to actually losing his wife and children. They were lucky, the doctor had told him as much, and he thanked God for protecting them. 

He had just hung up from Diana, after checking on Clarke, when there was a knock on the door and two nurses entered the room, each rolling in a bassinet. The noise also woke Abby, who quickly put her hospital bed into a more upright position so she could get a better look at the two tiny bundles. 

“I hope you’re up for a couple visitors?” one of the nurses asked them with a huge smile.

Both Abby and Marcus were speechless as the boys were positioned at Abby’s bedside. 

“This little guy is Baby A. He’s the older of the two. Looks like weighed in at 5 lbs. 6 oz.,” the older nurse said as she gently placed the baby in Abby’s waiting arms. 

“Hi sweetheart,” Abby said as she cradled the little boy, running a finger across his chubby cheek. 

“And this is Baby B, who was just a little smaller at 5 lbs. 4 oz.,” the other nurse said as she handed him to Marcus. 

Not trusting himself to stay upright, he quickly took a seat on the bed next to his wife so they could each get a good look at both babies.

“Wow, they really are identical,” Marcus said in awe looking between the two tiny humans. 

“Yeah, they are,” Abby agreed as she cried tears of joys knowing that both of her boys were safe in their arms. 

“We’re going to need tattoos,” he joked. 

“Over my dead body.” 

“Hey buddy,” Marcus smiled when the baby gripped his finger, his own tears beginning to fall. 

The new parents leaned their heads together as they gazed lovingly at their newborn sons, taking note of every feature, from their dark hair, to their tiny button noses, to baby smirks.

“I carried them for 8 months and went through major surgery, but they come out looking just like you,” Abby said shaking her head.


	19. 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 20 will most likely be an epilogue, giving you a glimpse at life in the Kane house as the twins and Clarke grow. Enjoy!

Late the next afternoon, Diana and Clarke arrived at the hospital to meet the newest little Kanes. “Mommy!” the little girl exclaimed running to her mother. 

“Hi baby,” Abby smiled wrapping her arms around her daughter. 

“Are you ok?”

“I’m pretty sore but, yes, I’m ok.”

“Hi there, Mama,” Diana greeted as she bent down to hug her best friend. 

“Thank you so much for looking after Clarke for us.” 

“Are you kidding? I loved every minute of it,” she assured her. “Where are the boys?”

“They went to the nursery so I could shower. Marcus just went to get them. He should be back any moment.”

As if on cue, Marcus rolled both bassinets into the room. “Look boys, your first visitors.”

“Oh my God,” Diana gushed as she laid eyes on the Kane brothers for the first time. “They’re perfect.” 

“They’re so tiny,” said Clarke. “Are their names Chase and Marshall?”

“Or are they still A and B?” Diana teased. 

“Haha. Very funny,” Abby rolled her eyes. “They have names, but I’m sorry Clarke, we didn’t go with Chase or Marshall.”

“Aww man,” the little girl said crossing her arms. 

While Abby and Diana laughed at Clarke, Marcus carefully picked up the older of his two sons from the bassinet. “This is Baby A,” Marcus told them as he walked over to the bed and placed him in Abby’s waiting arms. “But his name is Marcus Alexander Kane Jr.”

“We’re going to call him Alex though, to avoid confusion,” Abby added. 

“And this little guy is Jack Thomas Kane,” Marcus said before passing the sleeping baby to Diana. “And he’s also your godson.”

“Hi Jack. You’re a handsome little devil, aren’t you?”

“Alex and Jack?” Clarke asked. “They’re ok, I guess, but I still like Chase and Marshall better.” 

“I’ll tell you what, Clarke, if we ever get a pet, you can name anything you want. Deal?”

“Deal!” the 7 year old agreed excitedly. “I want a dog.”

**********

Several weeks later, Abby awoke in the middle of the night to find Marcus’ side of the bed empty. Rising to her feet, she padded out of the room and down the hall. Stopping at Clarke’s room first, she covered the sleeping girl and kissed her forehead before heading next door to the nursery. Jack was snoring soundly in his crib, but Alex and Marcus were nowhere to be found. They must be downstairs, she thought to herself. 

Sure enough, Abby found her husband in the living room trying to console a very cranky 1 month old and her heart melted as she watched them from the shadows. Marcus was born to be a father. Even with a screaming newborn in his arms, he was calm and loving. Her boys were so lucky and so was Clarke. “Someone’s not happy,” she said aloud finally making her presence known. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Marcus said as he gently bounced the boy in his arms. “I’ve tried everything. I changed him, I fed him, I sang to him.”

“You sang to him? No wonder he’s crying,” Abby teased.

“Haha,” he mocked pulling a face. 

“He’s just colicky. Here, let me try,” Abby offered taking Alex from his arms. 

Unfortunately for the exhausted parents, baby Alex wasn’t any happier in his mother’s arms than he’d been in his father’s. 

“Did you try the Mama-Roo? Sometimes that’s the only thing that will settle him down.” 

“It’s in the nursery. I didn’t want to wake up Jack.” 

“Can you bring it down here? It may be our only hope.” 

“It’s worth a shot,” Marcus said before disappearing up the stairs to retrieve the motorized infant seat.

While they waited, Abby walked back and forth across the living room trying her best to sooth the little boy in her arms. “Shh, it’s ok, sweetheart. Daddy is getting your seat.”

Several minutes later, Marcus came down the stairs, somehow carrying both the Mama-Roo and baby Jack. “He was awake when I went into the nursery,” Marcus sighed. 

“He felt left out,” Abby chuckled. 

Marcus carefully set the infant seat next to the sofa and plugged it in. “I’m going to get Jack a bottle.”

Abby placed Alex in the seat and buckled him in while he cried and flailed his little arms and legs. “Ok. Ok. One second.” Pressing the power button, she quickly found the tree swing setting that seemed to work best with her older son. Within seconds, Alex realized what was happening and began to calm down before eventually being rocked to sleep. 

“I’m a little hurt that he prefers that damn seat to us,” Marcus said when he came back into the room feeding Jack.

“At this point, whatever works,” Abby sighed as she fell back onto the couch. 

Marcus sat down beside her and she immediately rested her head on his shoulder as they both watched the two little boys in front of them. Alex was now content and sound asleep, while Jack was happily chugging on his bottle in his father’s arms. 

"I still can't tell them apart."

"Neither can I. That's why I always put Alex in blue and Jack in red," Abby laughed. "Hopefully, it will get easier as they get older. We can give them different haircuts and they'll at least know who they are."

“You should go back to bed,” Marcus said before kissing his wife’s head as she laid on his shoulder. “I’ve got them.”

“I’m not leaving you down here alone. Besides, I can’t sleep without you next to me anymore,” she said, immediately feeling the vibrations as he laughed at her. 

“Is that so?” he asked amused. “I remember a time, not so long ago, when you did everything possible not to be in the same room as me.” 

“Yeah, well, things have changed,” she admitted as she gently ran a finger up and down Jack’s cheek. 

“They certainly have,” Marcus agreed as the corners of his mouth turned up. “You know, I still feel like I’m going to wake up at any moment and find out that all of this is a dream, you, Clarke, our boys. The four of you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you so much.” 

“We love you too,” she said looking up at him to meet his lips. “And I promise you, this is not a dream. You’re stuck with us for good.” 

It wasn’t long before they noticed that Jack had fallen asleep before finishing his bottle. Marcus gently burped him and then placed him in his Rock-n-Play sleeper while Abby rinsed out the bottle in the kitchen. With both boys finally asleep, at least for now, Marcus grabbed a blanket and laid down on their over-sized sofa. When Abby returned, she happily snuggled into her husband and pillowed her head in the crook of his neck. They fell asleep almost instantly, both content in each other's arms and knowing that it wouldn’t be long before the babies would once again need their attention.


	20. 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, the conclusion of A Thin Line Between Love And Hate. Thank you so much to everyone that took the time to read this story and leave comments and kudos. I appreciate every single one of them. Enjoy!

Jaha’s Lake House - 2 Years Later

“I can’t believe the twins are 2 years old already,” Aurora said in disbelief as she and Abby put the finishing touches on the snacks and appetizers for the boys’ birthday party. 

“Neither can I,” Abby agreed shaking her head. “It seems like yesterday we just brought them home from the hospital.” 

The family had once again gathered at Jaha’s Lake George vacation home, this time to celebrate Alex and Jack’s 2nd birthday. Since this was the spot where Abby and Marcus were engaged and married, it certainly held a lot of sentimental value for the couple. 

“Anybody home?” called a familiar voice from the front door.

“In the kitchen!”

Seconds later, Diana and her new husband, Russell, entered the room, their arms loaded down with food and presents. “Presents outside?” Russell asked.

“Yes, there a gift table on the deck,” Abby answered. “Marcus and the rest of the guys are out there.” 

“Got it.”

As Russell disappeared out the slider, Diana set down her dish and greeted both Abby and Aurora. “What did you bring? That smells amazing.”

“It’s my famous chicken enchilada dip,” the blonde said proudly. “You just need to heat it up for about 15 minutes.”

“It’s so good, Aurora. Wait until you try it,” Abby said as she placed it into the oven. 

“Ok, let’s see it,” Diana said to Aurora holding out her hand.

Aurora smiled and held out her left hand to show Diana her engagement ring. 

“It’s gorgeous! Who knew Sinclair had such great taste,” she shrugged. 

After hitting it off at Marcus and Abby’s wedding, Sinclair and Aurora began dating. The initial 3 hour distance between them was difficult, but they made it work and, eventually, Aurora decided to relocate back to Buffalo. After renting an apartment downtown for short time, she and the kids moved into Sinclair’s house, which was only 15 minutes away from Marcus and Abby. 

“Speaking of marriage,” Abby said. “How are you Russell doing?”

“Fabulous, but we’re still in our honeymoon phase. It’s only a matter of time before I’ll want to kill him for not loading the dishwasher correctly or for leaving his wet towel on the bed.”

All three women laughed and then headed out to deck to join the rest of the party. “Who’s dog is that?” Diana asked surprised when she saw a German Shepherd puppy running around in the grass with the children. 

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? That’s our new puppy,” Abby said. “Because a 9 year old and 2 year old twins aren't’ enough to keep us on our toes.” 

“I can’t believe you finally gave in,” Aurora chuckled. 

“I was able to stay strong when it was just Clarke, but now that Alex and Jack are talking, their big sister gets them to beg for one too. I didn’t stand a chance with those big brown eyes.” 

“What’s its’ name?” Diana asked. 

“Chase.” 

“Mommy. Juice,” came a small voice. 

Looking down, Abby saw Jack gazing up at her holding out his dinosaur sippy cup. “Mommy, juice, please,” she corrected him. 

“Mommy. Juice. Peese.” 

“This is exactly why we now have a dog,” Abby sighed gesturing to the adorable dark-haired boy. “How am I supposed to say no that face?”

**********

The Paw Patrol themed 2nd birthday party was a success! The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, their family and friends completely spoiled the boys with an exorbitant number of presents, and everyone consumed entirely too much sugar. 

It was for that reason that all of the children were still awake well after nightfall, including Alex and Jack. In attempt to settle the boys down, Marcus had taken them up to his and Abby’s bedroom to read a story. 

When more than 30 minute passed and her husband still hadn’t returned, Abby figured he needed back-up. Climbing the stairs and heading down the hall, her heart swelled at the sight of Alex and Jack, dressed in their matching blue and white striped pajamas, snuggled up to Marcus as he read them Paw Patrol: Chase Is On The Case. 

Trying her best not to interrupt, Abby tiptoed across the room to the bed and gently slipped in on the other side of the boys. Alex immediately snuggled into her side, since his brother was glued to Marcus. Usually, both Alex and Jack were their father’s little shadows. They followed him everywhere and wanted to do everything he did. While it made things challenging at times, Abby knew Marcus loved every single moment. They were definitely “Daddy’s boys” and he couldn’t have been happier. As a result, any time one of them chose her, she felt lucky. 

Over an hour and 2 more stories later, the twins were finally asleep between their parents. Very carefully, they each carried one of the boys next door to their room and tucked them in for the night.

“I didn’t think they’d ever fall asleep,” Marcus sighed when they returned to their own room and flopped onto the bed. 

“Between the popsicles, candy, cake, and ice cream, they had a lot of sugar,” Abby chuckled. “But you only turn 2 once, right?”

“Thank God.” 

“Don’t fall asleep yet,” she nudged him as she sat down on the bed. 

“Why?” he asked furrowing his brow.

“Because I need you to come into the bathroom with me for a second,” she said biting her bottom lip. 

Utterly confused, Marcus sat up and studied her closely. “What’s going on?”

“During the party, I snuck up here and took a test…”

“What kind of test?”

“A pregnancy test.”

His eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open as the realization of what she’d just said dawned. “You’re pregnant?”

“I don’t know, Marcus, that’s why I took the test,” she chuckled. “But I wanted you with me when I checked the results.”

They’d wanted another baby after the twins were born and they’d even started trying before the boys’ first birthday. Unfortunately, it never happened and they accepted the fact that Alex and Jack might be it. While Abby never went back on birth control and they had unprotected sex often, they really didn’t think they’d ever get pregnant again. 

“Do you really think you’re pregnant?” 

“Well,” she shrugged. “I’m late and my breasts have been pretty sensitive lately. Maybe I’m just starting menopause, but we won’t know for sure until we take a look.” 

With a renewed sense of energy, Marcus was off the bed in a flash, taking Abby by the hand and leading her into the ensuite bathroom. 

Abby took a deep breath, just now realizing how much she wanted a positive result. “Ready?”

At his nod, she released his hand and walked over to the vanity. With a trembling hand, she pick up the stick: PREGNANT!

Immediately, her hand flew to her mouth and Marcus wrapped his arms around her from behind and buried his face in her neck. “We did it,” he said. “We’re going to have another baby.” 

When she turned in his arms, both of their eyes were wet and they wore matching ear to ear grins. Marcus bent slightly, bringing his forehead down to meet his wife’s. “I love you so much,” he whispered. 

“I love you too.” 

**********

Kane House - 13 Years Later

Marcus and Abby awoke to the sounds of their children battling over the upstairs bathroom at 6:30am. “Happy first day of school,” Marcus groaned as he rose from the bed. 

“I can’t deal with this every morning. Either they need to get up at different times or use the other bathrooms in the house,” Abby said already mildly annoyed. 

“Hop in the shower. I’ll deal with the troops.”

“Good luck.”

Stepping out into the hallway, he listened to the sounds of his children bickering. From what he could tell, one of the twins was hogging the bathroom and the others had run out of patience with their brother. 

Peeking his head inside the first bedroom, he saw Alex pounding on the bathroom door, “Jack, let’s go! The rest of us need the bathroom too!”

“Hey, come with me,” Marcus said calmly gesturing for Alex to follow him. 

Alex did as he was told, following his father further down the hall and into the other bedroom where they found the younger set of twins equally annoyed with Jack. “Open the door!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Marcus said sternly. 

“Dad, I need to shower too. He’s taking forever,” 12 year old Bailey whined. 

“So do I,” added her fraternal twin brother, Wyatt. 

“Alex, go downstairs and use the bathroom in the basement…”

“What? Why do I have to go all the way down there?” the 15 year old asked annoyed. 

“It’s either the basement or no shower,” Marcus pointed out. 

“Fine,” Alex rolled his eyes before heading downstairs. 

One down, three to go, Marcus thought to himself.

“When is Grandma’s old room going to be ready? We need another shower,” Wyatt asked. 

“I know. The contractor said he should be finished in another week, but until then, we need to figure this out. I am not going to be playing referee every morning.” 

Vera had lived with them since Alex and Jack were 3 months old and she was extremely close with both sets of twins. Sadly, she’d passed away 6 months ago after a lengthy battle with COPD. With four growing children and only 3 available bedrooms upstairs, they’d decided to hire a contractor to renovate Vera’s master suite, turning it into two separate smaller bedrooms with an adjoining bath. 

“Jack! Time’s up! Out now!” Marcus yelled through the closed bathroom door. 

Within seconds, the door opened and a freshly showered Jack stepped out wearing a towel and a mischievous smirk on his face. 

“Bailey, go,” Marcus told his daughter. Once she was in the bathroom, he eyed his older son, “Did you not hear your brothers and sister pounding on the door?” 

“I did and I tried to hurry, but my hair took a little longer than usual.”

Marcus and Wyatt both rolled their eyes. “Go get dressed,” Marcus told him. “Wyatt, you’re going to have to wait for whichever bathroom is free first.” 

“Ah man,” the 12 year old whined. 

**********

When Abby emerged from the shower, she found her husband sitting on their bed massaging his temples. “It went that well, huh?”

“Tim and his crew better be done next week like he promised. I can’t deal with this much longer.”

“Let me guess,” Abby said crossing her arms. “Jack was the one in the bathroom?”

“Of course. He had to take his time to make sure his hair was perfect,” Marcus chuckled. 

“I wonder where he gets it from,” Abby teased. 

**********

By 7:15am, Marcus, Abby, and all four kids were in the kitchen. Abby finishing everyone’s lunches while Marcus made sure they all had breakfast. 

“Alex and Jack,” Abby started. “Dad will be at your Soccer game today. He’ll drive you both home when it’s over. Understand?”

“Yup.”

“Cool.”

“Bailey, I’ll pick you up from Volleyball practice and then you’re coming with me to watch Wyatt’s Soccer game in Clarence. Ok?”

“Ok.”

“Wyatt, we might be a few minutes late. It’s going to be rush hour.”

The boy shrugged as he shoved another piece of bacon in his mouth. 

“Did you get all that?” Abby asked her husband. 

“Yep, sounds good.” 

“Ok, lunches are ready and don’t you dare leave this house until I get a first day of school picture of you,” she threatened. 

“Mom, we’re too old for that,” Alex groaned. 

“Dude, she took a picture of Clarke on her first day of work a few weeks ago,” Jack reminded his brother.

Marcus and Abby both shared a smile at the mention of their oldest daughter. At 22, she’d graduated from college with a degree in Art Education only 3 months ago and she had already been hired to teach at a local high school. They couldn’t be prouder. 

“And I’ll show up for your first day of work too someday,” Abby said raising an eyebrow. 

“We’ve gotta go,” Jack said. “The bus is going to be here any second.” 

All four kids jumped from their seats, grabbing their backpacks, lunches, and sports bags as they headed for the front door. “Don’t make me follow all of you to the bus to take a picture.”

“Hurry Mom,” said Bailey. 

Abby quickly pulled up the camera on her phone and snapped one photo of Alex and Jack in the foyer and another of Bailey and Wyatt outside. They weren’t the best, but she’d take what she could get at this point. 

“Have a great first day,” Marcus said as he and Abby watched them make it to the end of the driveway just in time to catch the bus. 

“Love you,” Abby yelled. 

“And they’re off,” Marcus said. 

“When did they grow up?” Abby asked, her voice full of sadness. 

“They’re not grown up, sweetheart,” Marcus chuckled. “They’re 15 and 12. We still have a lot of years left.”

Walking back into the house, the couple cleaned up the kitchen from the tornado that was their children and then enjoyed a cup of coffee together at the island. 

“Can I see the pictures?” Marcus asked. 

“Sure,” Abby said pulling them up on her phone and handing it to him.

Marcus sighed when he saw the picture of Alex and Jack. “They look thrilled.” Swiping left, he saw the picture of Bailey and Wyatt. “I like that one. At least they still smile.” 

“It won’t last.” 

“Are you ready to get going?” 

“Yeah, just let me grab my bag,” Abby said heading into the living room. She was just checking to make sure she had her lesson plan book when she felt her husband’s strong arms snake around his midsection and his lips on her neck. “What are you doing? 

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear.”

Turning in his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his lips. “I love you too.” 

“How about we have a date night on Friday, just you and me?”

“Just you and me?” she asked surprised. “What’s that like?”

“Haha. I’m serious. I’m thinking dinner at EB Green’s, maybe get a room at the hotel while we’re there?”

“What about the kids?”

“I’m sure they can all stay with a friend, but if not, I’ll bribe Clarke to spend the night,” he said kissing her again. “What do you say?”

“I say you’ve got yourself a date, Mr. Kane.”


End file.
